Thundercats: Home We'll Go
by Quetzalcoatl is my Momma
Summary: Marilyn Young, a girl who's been living with an abusive adopted home since she was nine and has self-harmed and run away. The only thing she had left of her birth Mother and Father are two earrings and a bracelet that have three identical deep red gems inside them. When Marilyn hits an all time low and tries to slit her wrists to end her life, they transport her to Third Earth.
1. Prologue: Concrete Angel

_**Marilyn Young, a girl who's been living with an abusive adopted home since she was nine and has self-harmed and run away. The only thing she had left of her birth Mother and Father are two earrings and a bracelet that have three identical deep red gems inside them. When Marilyn hits an all time low and tries to slit her wrists to end her life, they transport her to Third Earth. Can she survive this Warring world and get back to her own? Wait, who said she ever wanted to go back? And when a certain Lion Prince finds out about where the scars come from, will he even let her?**_

_**TRIGGER WARNING! IN THE BEGINNING THERE WILL BE SEVERAL SUICIDES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND SELF-HARM! TREAD LIGHTLY, OR DO NOT TREAD AT ALL- YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**_

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_Prologue: Concrete Angel_

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_Marilyn's silver eyes stared blankly down at the field of wildflowers from seventy-eight feet in the air- straight drop down. She stood on a cliff overlooking a park where her birthparents would take her before the accident that took them away. Her phone played music, headphones over her ears and listening to Martina McBride's Concrete Angel. Not out of self-pity, but because the family that had adopted her was the cause of the three deaths before her. Eric McHale, age thirteen- killed himself by hanging. Jessica Kemper fourteen- ODed on pain medications and drowned herself. Little Kylee Ballard. She was nine and lost the will to live so early… stood behind a backing-out van and let it squish her..._

_Marilyn let a tear slide down her pale cheek before she raised her hand to wipe it away, only to stop at the silvery scars that made up more than normal skin on her wrists. The pocket knife weighed heavy in her jacket pocked, so before anyone discovered her, she wipped it out and slashed into her scarred thin left wrist, briefly seeing the meat underneath before the fountain of red bubbled forth._

_Marilyn didn't stop there- she swapped it to her now shaky left and slashed into her right. A broken sob shook her frame- she could only hope that the evidence had gotten to the police in time before she left- that'd really suck if it didn't…_

_As the knife dropped from her now numb fingers, falling over the cliff along with a rain of blood, Martina's lyrics drifted to her ears._

**And her dreams give her wings,**

**And she flies to a place where she's loved…**

_Marilyn's lips gave a broken smile before she sang the last line softly._

"Concrete Angel~…"

_A gleam of red flashed in her vision, coming from the bracelet that was still on her wrist. It was pulsing- nah, probably just a trick of the light… or is it just her life flashing before her eyes…? No, the rocks and flowers were glowing as well. Then she was falling- had she fallen off the cliff? Wait… no she was on her bed? She hadn't had a bed since she was nine._

_Silver eyes fluttered shut, but before they did, they saw the panicked greens of… _a lion…?


	2. I

_**I'm back with the second chapter- okay so this whole story is starting about two months before the official story for Thundercats 2011 gets underway. Last time, Marilyn tries to commit suicide, but the strange gems her birthparents' jewelry had did something and transported her somewhere before she hit the ground. Where did she go, and what happened to her?**_

_**[REWRITTEN ON 6/1/2019]**_

* * *

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_I: A Story She Bears and the Scars She Wears_

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The night had started quietly enough for the cats in Thundera. The kittens were all tucked in, guards changing shifts to go home for the day and to arrive for the night. Prince Lion-O was still awake fiddling with a strange disk while his companion Snarf was yawning on his bed. No one on Third Earth expected what was to come. Lion-O sighed and set down his screwdriver, but just as it tapped the desk Snarf started to yap and a soft _thud_ came from his bed. Spinning around- Snarf _never _made noise like that unless it was important- Lion-O's green eyes widened in shock and horror when a creature unlike any he'd ever seen before was staining his sheets with her blood. Glazed, watery silver eyes stared at his panicked green ones for a moment before they slid closed, pale skin getting paler by the second and a single tear making a path over the bridge of her nose.

Everything was still for a second before the smell of copper and tears hit the prince like a war hammer, making him jolt into action. Thinking fast, the lion hurried to the bed and ripped makeshift bandages from the already bloodied sheets, wrapping them around the creature's wrists where the blood was coming from before scooping it up and racing out of his chambers. The first place he thought to go was the medic, Pumyra. Racing through the halls with Snarf on his heels and paying no heed to the guards stationed and asking what the matter was, he skidded to a stop at the Medical ward and banged on the door with a panicked fist.

"PUMYRA! OPEN UP NOW!" the Puma opened the door after several seconds with a bewildered scowl on her face and rubbing sleep from her eyes. "What on Third Earth is your-?!" she cut herself off at the creature in the younger Prince's arms. "What _is _that thing?!" she gasped as she ushered the two into the ward, internal medic kicking into play. "She just appeared on my bed bleeding like a popped waterskin!" the young Lion said as he laid the creature out. Pumyra untied the makeshift bandages and nearly winced at the scent of blood's heavy presence sweep throughout the room- it was stronger than what she was used to.

"Gods above," The medic said lowly, spotting the other numerous silvery scars under the blood as well as fading yellow and green bruises. "This was self-inflicted…" the puma said while looking at the scars. "And these were… forced." Making a split decision and shoving the lion around the corner to draw a curtain, the medic proceeded to undress the strange creature, checking for any more injuries. With every article of clothing that was shed, a more horrible picture was being drawn: small circular burn scars over her torso. Long scars reminiscent of whipping on her back. Every single rib was visible and countable. Her thighs had scars like on her wrists. Symbols were carved into her belly and back, forming words the Cat didn't know how to read (and honestly had no desire to).

Her nether regions seemed to have the worst damage that wasn't seeable to the untrained eye. Small scars that seemed to be tooth marks on her inner thighs, finger and hand-shaped bruises that had yet to fade on her waist and thighs. Four symbols engraved into her pubic area that, while unreadable, made Pumyra's fur stand on end.

The medic swallowed thickly- in all her time as a healer in Thundera, she had never seen such brutal reminders or such a heartbreaking picture- hell, even war criminals didn't have this many scars! Calling Lion-O back in after she had clothed the human once more at least in her coat, Pumyra told him of her findings. "The only thing that I can discern from her multiple, horrifying scars and the remaining injuries is one of two things," Lion-O's pupils had become thinned pencil lines as the list of previous injuries and scars were listed. His belly knotted itself into lumps and for some reason he felt sick. "One would be that she was a prisoner of war and was tortured. The other… well, we'd need to ask her. It is something I've seen before, but I hope I'm wrong about it." Lion-O's eyes narrowed and he looked down at the creature with confused and sad teals.

Pumyra _tsked_ and gently wrapped the sheet back around the thin wrist before going over to some cabinets and rummaging through them. Coming back, she had a small armload of plants and bark, getting to work on grinding them up and creating a paste. Meanwhile, Lion-O stared at the creature, finally getting a better look at her. She had hair so black it looked blue. Her skin was pale and she didn't have any claws. No fur except for on her head (How did she stay warm in the winters?), and he thought back to those silver eyes, his stomach felt hollow when he thought of how empty and hopeless they were. One thought circled around the prince's head- _where did she come from?_

Once Pumyra had finished with the paste and applied it to the sluggishly bleeding wounds, she swapped out the bed sheets with proper bandages and gave the creature a tonic for the blood loss. "When she wakes," she said to the prince, "she'll need to take this to help with the pain and this to keep her calm so she won't hurt herself." Giving Lion-O a small bag of seeds and a strip of silvery bark, the puma gazed at the still creature for a time, sadness clouding her amber eyes. "We're going to need to keep this a secret, Lion-O. from the second picture I'm least inclined to see, she'll need a place she can rest, heal, and trust." the young lion looked down and rubbed a hand over his face. "With the tensions with the lizards as high as it is, my father is going to suspect her of being a spy and toss her in the dungeon when he finds out, regardless of her condition." The medic gave a tired glare at her prince.

"She needs help, Lion-O. if we toss her to Claudus, she's just going to hurt herself to get out of wherever her mind is. The images being made isn't a pleasant one- if I'm right, being in the dark is going to make her worse."

Two hours went by but the two Cats were no closer to coming up with a solution. The idea they had decided on was hiding her in Lion-O's chambers.

As the two cats lapsed into silence, a weak third voice shakily entered the fold.

"Wh-where…?"

The two Cats jumped and looked at the creature they had been discussing. Her voice was hoarse and her silver eyes were looking around, hazy confusion in her gaze. "The Royal Medical Ward in Thundera." Pumyra said, her amber eyes carefully blank as she looked at her patient. "You were lucky. If you hadn't fallen into Prince Lion-O's chambers you would have bled out."

The creature's eyes widened when they darted towards the two Cats, seeing them for the first time. Varying emotions flitted across her face, but her features settled on two: Shock, then blatant _terror_. "W-What the-?! What are you? What do you want with me?! Wher-?!" Her panic was cut off by the blazing pain in her wrist before Pumyra stood and made her way to her side, carrying the tonic. "Lion-O, the pain-relievers, now!"

The young lion jerked and hurriedly did what was asked. "These will help you with the pain, and this is to take care of blood loss." Pumyra said curtly, the lack of sleep getting to her as she shoved the tonic and a seed down her constricting throat. "Wait thirty minutes before you get up. The herbs are speeding up your healing but it takes a bit for the tonic to kick in." the puma looked to the prince. "Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't wander." Lion-O nodded while the creature sat on the cot, her breathing hitched and rapid with the fear in her veins and sending a distasteful aroma curling through the air- like stagnant cave air and mold.

Lion-O thought for a moment about his next course of action- he had so many questions to ask her, but for right now the important things were to put her at ease and to keep her from hurting herself again.

"You're safe now," the prince said, slowly approaching the creature like one would a hurt animal. "Can you tell me your name and, well… what you are?"

"Uh… I'm Marilyn Young. I-I guess H-human…?" The last answer was said as if it were a question rather than an answer.

"Where are you from? Do you have any technology there?" Lion-O smiled gently at the human- progress, good.

"A-ahm… D-Dripping Springs…A-and yes, I-erm, _we_ do. This is an example." With a small shaky hand (and Lion-O finally realized by Thundera she's such a tiny thing!) she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small rectangular object. Her hand trembled as if the lion would snatch it away as she hesitantly set it down. It shone like gold on one side while the other was gleaming with a polished black glass surface. A simple swipe of Marilyn's fingers lit up the glass and a series of presses upon the surface unlocked the device.

Instantly the song she had played before her suicide attempt began playing and Marilyn's expression began to crumble.

It was finally crashing back to her now. Marilyn Young had tried to kill herself… _she tried to-._

Lion-O paused in his excited observation of the small rectangular object making strange (if not beautiful) sounds when a drop of water fell onto it. Followed by another and another. A choked sob made the young prince look at the human's face and see that she was crying, staring at her bandages wrists and her features morphing into pain, self-loathing, and disappointment. "I t-tried t-to…" she said, looking at the slightly red linens wrapped around her wrists the last thing she promised her mom and dad was that she'd live and be happy. She almost gave that up.

The bracelet and earrings glinted as she placed shaky fingertips over them and their strange gems. _The gems that had apparently saved her by bringing her here_.

Looking at the bronze bracelet her shoulders trembled as she cried, forgetting the two cats near her.

_I'm sorry, Mama. Papa…_

Lion-O had honestly never seen such an upsetting sight. Every muted cry that came from this small human, _Marilyn_, made him want to give her some comfort, but if what Pumyra thought about the second scenario was right, even the first, she wouldn't want any male touching her, any _creature_ touching her, without her consent.

_Snarr…_

A small croon came up from behind the crying girl and Marilyn peered through blurred red-rimmed eyes to see a small reddish blob. It jumped onto the cot she sat on and rubbed it's face into her side, giving her what comfort it could. Sniffling, tears still falling, Marilyn shakily and haltingly lowered a hand towards the furry thing. Jerking her hand back every now and then when she thought it would change it's mind and bite it off. When her fingers curled into its fur, a miniscule sense of comfort trembled in her heart, bruised and scarred and beaten raw as it was. This creature might not hurt her. The human, lion, and puma were silent, all in their own worlds. The two cats watching as Lion-O's pet tried to make this stranger feel better, the puma thinking about the best way to ask what the girl went through, and the lion to help her in any way he could.

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"Marilyn?"

The girl had trailed off on her crying almost an hour ago. Her face was blotchy and red, silver eyes red-rimmed. Her body drooping with exhaustion. When she heard the female's voice, she struggled to look up from petting the little creature's fur- Lion-O had called it Snarf, she recalled absently.

"I-I hate to bring this up. Especially when you've clearly gone through a traumatic event, but as I was treating your wrists, I had to check for any more injuries. What I saw…" Pumyra swallowed the bile that was climbing up her throat at the mere thought of the scars. "N-not even prisoners of war are that scarred. Where did all those scars and injuries come from?"

Marilyn's frame froze before her silver eyes dulled to that of a slate gray. Her lips moved but no sound came.

"What?" Lion-O's voice was gentle as he moved into her line of sight, albeit from a distance of five feet, and knelt down so that he didn't seem as threatening.

Her voice rose gradually to a mutter, the girl's head lowering until she stopped petting Snarf altogether and had pressed her hands against her ears as if to block out something, and what Marilyn said almost knocked the lion back onto his rear.

"_Shut up you whore… this'll teach you… Mine… mine… I paid the money, now take it, honey… Try to run, try to run… this is you…Take it… you know you like it… Mix pain and pleasure… Imma tear that pussy apart…"_ then she started to _scream_.

"_GET AWAY FROM ME! STOP! I'LL BE GOOD, PLEASE! STOP IT! IT HURTS, NONONONONONONONONO! MAKE IT STOP! STOOOOOOPPPP!"_

Her voice cut off and she began to hyperventilate; the two cats recoiled as they realized what had happened- they had sent her into a panic attack and a flashback. Lion-O abandoned his previous thoughts of _no male should touch her_ because at this point Snarf's helpless cries weren't getting through to her. In a last-ditch effort to not have her wake the whole castle and to calm her down, Lion-O strode over to the rapidly breathing human and grabbed her hand to place it over his chest- over his heart.

"Marilyn, wherever you are, you aren't there!" he had seen Pumyra perform this technique on several retired guards and soldiers before- when their battles had become too much and they succumbed to visions over the smallest things like cuts, knives used during meals, night terrors. Suddenly the human's breath cut off and Pumyra shoved herself beside the prince. "Marilyn you _need to breathe." The puma said, her voice becoming low and firm. The human shook her head, because if she breathed she'd smell the stench of sex and pain and blood and tears and sweat in the air and she'd be handed off to the next one__**someonehelpherpleasegodsomeonehelpher-!**_

Her fingers suddenly touched soft fine fur. The strangeness of the texture was so sudden and caught her so off guard the girl sucked in a breath, a burn in her lungs she never felt instantly soothed. Claws that trailed over her arm went up to lightly cup her hand and run it up the soft furry surface again. A voice strained to get to her, as if she were under water. _"Feel… are you...? Know who it…? –lyn. Fee- Lion-O… safe. You're safe. Lion-O isn't going to hurt you. He's safe. Feel his fur. It's soft. What else is soft?"_

_Soft fur… there was no softness in the basement and definitely no fur. No one said I was safe either. No one said they wouldn't hurt me. They were never nice. These sound nice. I-I'm s-safe… and it is soft… what else was soft…?_

The voice of the female… cat thing reached through the murky darkness of her mind. A blob of gold and red swam into her vision. Her hand was being held by a sandy tan one and the tan one was rubbing hers up and down a furry arm. Blinking slowly, Marilyn's vision cleared a little more and she replied to the question weakly. "Th-the red blob…?" a short shaky laugh came from the owner of the arm in front of her. "Yeah, Snarf is pretty soft, huh?"

"…I'm tired…" was all Marilyn got out before she toppled into the furry peach-and-gold arm. A strangled grunt tumbled from Lion-O's mouth before he steadied himself and awkwardly helt the drained human up.

"She needs a place to stay." Pumyra said. The lion was silent; after what he saw tonight, after the picture becoming clearer by the hour, his decision was made. "The moment she touched your fur she began to pull herself out of her panic." Pumyra said. Her amber eyes were focused on the unconscious girl thoughtfully. "It would seem that she subconsciously knows you're a safe center… your interaction with her earlier placed a fine layer of trust around you even if your meeting and discussions started and ended on a rather… upsetting note. She-." "is staying with me." The lion said, his green eyes glued to this tiny human. His arms adjusted to pick her up while being mindful of her still injured wrists.

"I-I honestly don't know what it is, Pumyra…" Lion-O said, finally tearing his gaze from the girl to his friend. "But something makes me want to protect her- it's not just her scars and her wounds, but it's something else."

The puma was internally smiling fondly at her prince. He was such a kind lion, but this was something entirely new. _I can't wait to see where this goes._

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_**SO as you can see, I've re-written and added some things at will help outline and fleah out Marilyn more in the future. Also, for those haters that WILL pop up and diss the **_**"LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT" **_**shtick, "FITE ME, I DO WHAT I WANT, AND WE CAN TAKE THIS OUTSIDE!" besides, they will need to get to know one another obviously, but I feel that Lion-O would have seen how to calm a panic attack from the Cats coming home from battles or campaigns to fight against the Lizards and seen techniques on how to calm one down.**_

_**I'm re-writing the chapters I've published because a lovely reviewer named **_WAR-Operative_** said I hadn't written in a good personality for Marilyn yet. I went over since I have no beta and lo and behold, WAR was right. This first chapter is renamed **__A Story she Bears and the Scars she Wears __**for obvious reasons. I've also taken the liberty of lengthening it for you all as well! By the end of tonight in the US, I'll have re-written/taken down all the chapters and re-posted them to hopefully be better and make more sense!**_

_**By the way to **__Atea1793:__** Sorry, but it looks like I'm finding a way to hide Marilyn after all! }:)**_


	3. II

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_II: The Jabberwocky_

_**Or**__: In which Lion-O gives Marilyn a Gift_

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_Warmth. Safety. Deep rumbles. Gentle silver and blue light behind her. She was smiling as she felt the wind curl it's invisible fingers through her hair. The rumbling of a vehicle came from all around, along with the silhouette of a person sitting next to her. A warm feeling covered her body. The sound of the wind, a deep rumbling purr. Silver and blue. Silver and blue. Two colors overlapped on her vision and the smell of woodsmoke and pines laid heavy in the air. Silver and blue. Silver and blue._

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Marilyn's eyes slowly opened, her vision swimming back into focus as she blinked. Her body felt bone-tired and hardly rested at all. The pain she had numbed herself to came back full force and she whimpered faintly. Her right wrist still had the bracelet on it as far as she could feel, and it pulsed a gentle warmth up her arm. Sitting up with some effort Marilyn blinked the gritty sleep from her eyes to find herself alone in a strange room. It was lavish and stocked with pillows. In the back corner was a desk covered in metal shards and screws. A pair of goggles sat hung from a nail in the wall. It took a moment to remember vaguely where she was, a _palace_ with strange-humanoid-cat-creatures, but once the memories came back she stiffened before curling over and burying her face in her hands.

_A strange place with strange creatures… what will they do to me? They helped me when I went into a panic attack and a flashback but what about now? Will they kill me? Eat me?_ The questions circled over and over in her head and Marilyn began to tremble. She tried taking deep breathes and they seemed to do the trick. She threw the covers off and was startled to notice she was dressed in completely different clothes. She had on a light blue shirt with darker blue long-length pants that were loose and comfortable, if not a much bigger size. Standing and then holding still so she didn't fall over, Marilyn shakily put one foot in front of the other. She had a feeling the door wouldn't be the best option, but she needed to figure out where she was.

After a brief internal battle of self-preservation verses curiosity, she was proud to say that her self-preservation won out and she decided to stay in the room. She came across a note on the desk when she worked her way along the wall to it. Sadly it was written in a strange writing and Marilyn wasn't able to read it. She was about to put the note down when earrings sent a burst of heat up her lobes and made her cry out softly in pain, hastily clapping her hands over the source of the burning and slam her eyes shut on reflex. But just as quickly as it appeared the pain vanished.

Marilyn cracked her silver eyes open, pinpricks of tears having gathered at the corners as she blinked to clear them. Her head was suddenly hit with a slight ache and then images flooded it, symbols, shapes, meanings. Slowly, the note that was left for her became legeble as if it was written in english:

_Marilyn,_

_I went to get some breakfast and will be back with food soon. You've had a long night so I let you sleep, though once you wake up you may want to do something to keep yourself busy. Therefore anything in the room is for you to entertain yourself with if you need. Though there are some rules you need to follow to keep not just you safe but everyone else in the palace calm and ignorant of you being here as well:_

_First, you cannot leave the room until you're healed or unless you're with me, covered, and I am able to sneak you in and out without causing a fuss._

_Second, try not to make too much noise- I have an older brother and he tends to be nosey and invasive when he sees or hears something that he deems suspicious._

_Third, there's a small tunnel for when I need to get away from the palace in the closet, located in the far back in the right-hand corner. Usually it's for if the fall of Thundera is imminent and the Royal Family must evacuate, so if anything happens and I'm not there you need to hide. If it's just a servant, climb in and wait until they finish their duties before coming out. In the case of a siege to Thundera- trust me you will know- and I'm unable to reach you, get inside and follow the tunnel. Though there are many turns and intersections, stay straight ahead and at the seventh crossroads take a right, left, another two rights, then straight ahead again. That will lead you to the outskirts of the city on the west side and I can meet up with you there along with others who make it out._**(AN: I know this was non-existent in canon, but it would make sense if the princes were too young to fight and needed to make a fast getaway)**

_Marilyn, I can't even begin to understand what you went through before you fell into my room last night, but I know that I'll help you get through it however you want. You seem like an interesting person in general, not because of your past, though… I am holding out that we can become good friends._

_Also to not startle you and have you mistake me for a servant, I won't knock on the door. I'll scratch._

_Hoping to be friends,_

_Lion-O._

_PS- Snarf apparently likes you- he rarely warms up to people even if they're hurt, so color me interested on that aspect too._

Marilyn blinked as she read the note with more and more ease as every line passed under her silver eyes. _He's given me a way out_, she realized. _He wants to be my friend, and he wants to help me…_ Marilyn couldn't help but feel the slight flutter in her chest at the sincerity from last night and the meaning that was written into the note.

Maybe she _had_ died and gone somewhere better after all? A slight pain in her legs when she shifted wrong made her dismiss the thought0- if she was dead, she wouldn't be in any pain

The glint of something metallic under the bed caught her eye and Marilyn slowly made her way over, still leaning on the wall due to her various sores and pains. Easing herself onto her knees to get a better look at the item, silver orbs went wide at the object as her fingers itched to get her hands on it and play with it. Her hand came forward and closed slim soft fingers around the long cylindrical object. Pulling it out, Marilyn swallowed before settling on the bed and began to play… after all, Lion-O _did_ say that anything she needed to occupy herself with was free for her to use as she saw fit, and she hadn't used one of these in quite a while…

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

The prince walked hurriedly through the hallways to his chambers with Snarf at his heels like usual. A platter piled high with food was in his arms while Snarf carried a jar of water. Sneaking the food out of the kitchen was a task, but he had managed it. Lion-O was anxious to get back to Marilyn; when he left the note for her on the desk she had been sleeping fitfully, but he had a feeling it wasn't a _bad_ fitful… it was as if she had been having a dream, but the dream itself wasn't bad or good, if that made any sense. Arriving at his door without being seen (it went smoothly- a bit too smoothly, but Lion-O wouldn't look a Thunder Tank in the filled oil chamber), he unsheathed his claws slightly and scratched at the wood.

At least, he would have if he didn't hear a strange, if not familiar sound.

Sharp notes.

Humming in a low and high voice.

Trills.

A _tap-tap-tap_ against the ground to make a beat.

And for the life of him, Lion-O couldn't imagine what was making those noises, pleasant as it was to his ears.

Then a voice started to sing, gently, sliding and jumping against the notes as they repeated themselves and painted a strange picture.

∙∙**::::∙∙ **

_**Jabberwocky**_

_**~Sung by Erutan~**_

**..::::..**

_**Lalalalala, lalalalala,**_

_**Lalalalala, lalalalala~**_

_**Lalalalala, lalalala,**_

_**Lalalalala, lalala~**_

_Marilyn used to have a flute when she was seven. Her Mama and Papa would sit her down with instruments of their own and play nonsensical poems-turned-songs with her, and this is one of them, a poem by Lewis Carroll based on his _Alice through the Looking Glass_ work. _**Jabberwocky **_had always been her favorite. No matter where she was, or what had happened to her, when she felt sad she would play to the tune of Jabberwocky, recite lines from _Alice in Wonderland _and _Alice Through the Looking Glass_._

_**'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves,**_

_**Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;**_

_**All mimsy were the borogoves,**_

_**And the mome raths outgrabe~.**_

_Lion-O cracked the door open and peeked inside before entering. Marilyn was facing away from the door and she was playing his old flute- gods he'd forgotten he even owned that! She played beautifully, using her device- the one that played music- to produce the sounds of drums and other flutes so she could sing the lyrics. Despite not understanding a word of what the song was about, the mood of the song painted an eerie forest with the next lines._

_**'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!**_

_**The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!**_

_**Beware the Jub-Jub bird, and shun**_

_**The frumious Bandersnatch!'**_

_Marilyn smiled softly as she spun under the light of the midmorning sun coming in through the window. Her blue-black hair fanning out as her aches and pains were forgotten in the wake of being lost in Wonderland._

_**Lalalalala, lalalalala,**_

_**Lalalalala, lalalalala~**_

_**Lalalalala, lalalala,**_

_**Lalalalala, lalala~**_

_Lion-O couldn't help but tap his claw on his leg to the beat. Marilyn stepped gracefully and lightly around the room, her eyes closed or half-open yet not truly seeing where she was going. Even so, she never bumped into anything. It was as if the obstacles in her way were replaced with something else._

_**He took his vorpal sword in hand:**_

_**Long time the manxome foe he sought-**_

_**So rested he by the Tumtum tree,**_

_**And stood awhile in thought.**_

_Marilyn twirled, her fingertips all a-tingle and her hair fanning out once again in an indigo blue-black halo. She felt calm as she tittered away on the flute for the first time in years._

_**And as in uffish thought he stood,**_

_**The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,**_

_**Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,**_

_**And burbled as it came!**_

_**La~ lalala, Oooh~ lalala,**_

_**Lalalalala, lalalalala~**_

_**Lalalalala, lalalala,**_

_**Lalalalala, lalala~**_

_**Oooo, ooo, oooo~!**_

_Lion-O blinked as a flicker of light reflected off of Marilyn's hair; it was silvery like her eyes but it couldn't have been her earrings because they were made of copper. Lion-O narrowed his gaze at her blunette strands when the flicker appeared again, only slightly bigger and centered with blue instead of silver._

_**One, two! One, two! And through and through**_

_**The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!**_

_**He left it dead, and with its head**_

_**He went galumphing back.**_

_Marilyn felt warm and content as she sang. Remembering days of reading tales of Alice and playing to her adventures. The warmth sang through her body, seemed to go everywhere, even to the very ends of her hair. She loved the feeling- it was like being free. Finally, finally, _finally_, free._

_**'And has thou slain the Jabberwock?**_

_**Come to my arms, my beamish boy!**_

_**O frabjous day! Calloh! Callay!'**_

_**He chortled in his joy.**_

_Lion-O kept his eyes on her hair for several seconds, but the small lights at the ends never came back after they dissapeared from sight. Dismissing them as tricks of the sunlight in the window, Lion-O's eyes focused back on the dancing figure in mounting awe and amazement. As beat up, hurt, and scarred as he knew she was, she still managed to move, find joy in something as simple as this song, he could see it in the way she sang, stepped, and spun. This human was a strong creature. He felt a small warmth in his chest as he watched her and listened to her sing._

_**'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves**_

_**Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;**_

_**All mimsy were the borogoves,**_

_**And the mome raths outgrabe.**_

As the final notes faded into the air, Lion-O forgot about his promise to scratch at the door. He placed the platter on the desk and clapped lightly at the performance. Marilyn jumped three feet high with a strangled cry before she turned around to see the young lion smiling at her with a warm look in his green eyes.

"That was very good," he said. "What is it called?"

Marilyn felt her heart restart after a second and she answered hesitantly. "J-Jabberwocky… it's a song f-f-from my childh-hood that my mama and papa would play with me…"

Marilyn trailed off, shaking slightly. All the relief she had felt before was gone, replaced with anxiety. Lion-O seemed to notice her unease and gestured to the platter he'd brought for them. "Snarf and I got us some food. I hope you're hungry." Marilyn gave a shaky smile before nodding and placing the bronze and copper flute down reverently on the bed. Lion-O noticed the longing she held in her eyes when she let it go and smiled. "You can keep it of you want- I have no idea how to play it and I'd honestly forgotten I had it until I heard you playing it from outside the door."

Immediately Marilyn's silver eyes lit up and her smile widened, becoming brighter.

With a nod the human sat down at the desk across from the prince and looked at the platter he'd brought in. in all honesty it was a bit much, even for the two of them. "Pumyra had mentioned that you were really malnourished, so I swiped extra." Lion-O explained. Marilyn blushed, a powdering of light pink covering her cheeks as she realized what he was saying- _you need to eat more._

"T-thank you." She said softly. With a nod, from Lion-O, the two plus Snarf tucked into their breakfast.

Marilyn mostly stuck to the fruits, asking every once and a while what some were- there was one that looked like a thorny strawberry and when Lion-O said the name, she couldn't pronounce it. In the end she called it just what she thought it was, a thorny strawberry. "What other kinds of technology to you have where you come from?" the prince asked after a bit. Chewing and swallowing that she found looked like a pink pineapple but was really called an Atlatl Fruit **(AN: I'm making them up as I go okay…? =_= 3:00 Am here guys…)**, Marilyn blinked before she looked down at her phone. "W-well… there's s-something called a TV that h-has m-moving pictures that you c-can watch. The pictures t-tell stories, play music, help know what's h-happening in t-the world… even help s-sell things."

Lion-O's eyes were wide with interest as he took a bite of some dried meat. "What's this one do? What's it called?" he points at the phone sitting next to her. "I-it's called a c-cell p-phone, a-and you can use it to c-contact other holders f-from a long distance away. A-also, you can l-listen to m-music and also use them for r-research." Looking for permission to demonstrate, Lion-O nodded eagerly and watched as Marilyn looked up different things that had to do with technology on her phone.

Now that she was actually using it, she noticed that the 100% she had wasn't depleting. It had been on for a full 24 hours since she tried to… well anyway, it hadn't been turned off as far as she could tell, so it _should_ be drained of its battery by now. Yet it's still fully charged. Maybe she will never have to charge it here? She had mental fingers crossed on that.

Marilyn spent the rest of the morning getting to know the prince and the prince getting to know of her younger years and technology from her world. Neither of them noticed that the earrings were dulling as they pulsed a dull reddish-gold color from the gems within them, or that the gem in her bracelet was doing the same, nor did they notice that the warmth of the room rose a bit. Not enough to be noticeable, but enough to show that something was changing.

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

_**Okay! Chapter 2 is done! Omg I need sleep, guys… anyway! Again I'd like to thank **_WAR-Operative _**for bringing the non-development of Marilyn to my attention! Also, I've decided to throw those of you thinking about the gems in Marilyn's earrings and bracelet for a loop! Also WE'VE GOT SOME SNEAKY SIGHTINGS OF SILVER AND BLUE LIGHTS! WHAT COULD IT BE?!**_

**Yep, Marilyn will be hiding in Lion-O's room and Lion-O will be taking the couch. Or I could have Marilyn take the floor or couch cuz she's never known anything other than literal springs in a moldy damp basement and either way it is a heavenly change for the girl****…**

**Also… look up the song! Erutan does an amazing job and I LOVE HER! You'll be seeing sooooo many songs by her in this story, guys I'm not kidding!**

**Another thing- FF.N MIGHT delete my story because of some maybe M-rated material I'm planning to add later on. If that happens, message me and I'll add the story and it's link to my AO3 account! I gotta sleep before I pass out, guys!**


	4. III

_**Alright, ladies and gents! This is a time skip of about a month, give or take a day/night, after chapter 2! We have a month until the first episode takes place, give or take! This will be told first from Lion-O's point of view, then it will switch to 3**__**rd**__** person. In the chappy, Lion-O accidentally walks in Marilyn's nightmare and hears some of what she's gone through. No sexual abuse (yet), but the psychological abuse she goes through right after her parents die. Lion-O and Marilyn have bonded more, Marilyn's wrists have been healed but the scars will always remain. Also, realizations are found in the Lion Prince about his feelings toward his unofficial-official charge. And-and-AND, Mari meets Cheetara… fast gurl may not like that Lion-O is hiding an 'unknown' in his chambers….!**_

_**Look imma be frank with y'all. I'M KINDA IMPATIENT SO I WANT THEM TO REALIZE THEIR FEELINGS/DEVELOPING FEELINGS TOWARDS THE OTHER BEFORE THE FALL OF THUNDERA HITS THE FAN. HOWEVER, THEY WILL NOT ACT ON THEIR FEELINGS (**_**YET) **_**BECAUSE OF SOME OBVIOUS FACTORS.**_

_**Also (last one I swear) there's another song by **_**Erutan**_** called **_**Song of the Goddess: Eternal Path, **_**that I'm going to use as an OST for a scene here. Fun fact! **__That song has no translation, it is a fantasy language for the purpose to let us add whatever meaning we wish for it__**. Here, it's to show what Lion-O means to Marilyn as they dance. Lol but Lion-O doesn't have the actual translation because it all depends on the feelings in the singer's hearts! Marilyn's jewelry will do another hocus-pocus voodoo act to give the song a dance. My own interpretation for the whole song will not be put in until much later into the story, but I will give you my personalized translation at the end of the chapter!**_

_**(Happily jogs away from the incoming chaos I've made)**_

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

_**ENJOY!**_

* * *

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

_III: Rekriato Me- Gentle as the Sunlight_

_**OR: **__Lion-O realizes something as does Mari, and she meets a new cat._

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

Lion-O's eyes slowly opened in the darkness. He frowned slightly from his spot on the couch as he looked around his room. Something had woke him up but nothing had moved. No sound was uttered except for Marilyn's breathing and Snarf was pawing at his knees.

He'd told Snarf to wake him if anything happened.

The tiny creature was mewling urgently, nudging at his owner and looking towards the bed where Marilyn was trembling and panting softly. Lion-O threw off the covers and strode to the bed where she lay. He tried to gently shake her awake but when he touched her she let out such a heart wrenching whimper the prince actually took a step back for a moment. Taking a breath he came forward again and hesitantly placed a hand on her forehead. He had no idea what he was doing, and he certainly had no intention of walking her dreams as a spectator.

Unfortunately or fortunately Fate had different ideas. Once Lion-O's hand settled against her sweat-covered brow his vision tunneled and he began to feel as if he was falling.

_~Within Marilyn's Dream~_

_Empty._

_It was the first thing Lion-O saw. Just an empty black void. Like a giant oppressive hand, the feeling of hollowness pushed down on his shoulders and left him a mess of iced veins. In the black abyss Lion-O knew he was alone. A cruel male voice came from above, pushing him down. "You're nothing but a deadweight." A female's voice came next, as if speaking right next to his ear. "We take you in out of the goodness of our hearts, and you have the nerve to not eat what we give you?!"_

"_You see," the male's voice came again, sickly sweet like poisoned honey. "We only do this because you need to learn. We love you. We love you sooo much that you need to be kept away from EVERY__**ONE So tHAt You knoW wHo YoU BeLoNg TO!**__"_

_It escalated._

_The sound of crying._

_The yelling._

_The hate._

_The emptiness._

_The pain._

_A single white crack split the blackness before the petrified prince and he felt a sudden clenching in his belly before he was yanked-._

_~Back in the Real World~_

Lion-O let out a gasp as his eyes flew open and his knees turned to jelly, making him fall on his rear. His fangs glinted in the moonlight as he panted for breath. Staring with wide green eyes at the face of a still sleeping Marilyn, Lion-O made out silent tear tracks on her pale cheeks. It confirmed his and Pumyra's suspicions. Marilyn hadn't been living life at all. _That_ wasn't living, hell, what Lion-O experienced wasn't even _surviving_. It was just blank, empty, _meaningless_ _existence_.

He didn't know what was going through his head- he'd known the girl for only a month at most, but right now he felt as if she were someone very important to him, someone he would protect with everything he had and fix any way he could. He wanted to turn those small sad smiles into actual happy ones. He wanted to hear her laugh because not once had he heard her laugh in the time she was in his care. Lion-O shakily held out a hand and lifted Marilyn's own to place it on his forearm, taking a strange sense of relief that she wasn't there anymore.

Over time this small touch, the only thing aside from guiding by the shoulder or holding her up when she was hit with a dizzy spell (those were beginning to come and go for a few days now. He'll have to mention them to Pumyra next time Marilyn gets a checkup), had become their most common way of communication and calming each other down; in Lion-O's case, from the frustration he felt when people said he wasn't fit to rule or that his was being stupid in learning about what little technology Thundera had (yet denied even existed because everyone thought of it as a fairy tale). They may think he doesn't hear it, but he does, and it hurts every time. For Marilyn, she had shyly told him one evening while they were getting ready for bed that she felt he was a safe place. It had warned the lion that she had no safe places since her parents died, but sent a fluttery feeling to his chest when she said _he_ felt safe and not just Pumyra, even though the medic was there to help her as well as Lion-O.

When her small hand touched his arm her fingers immediately pressed down gently and began running slowly up and down the fur on an instinct built up over the time of two weeks. Lion-O smiled slightly when she fell into a steady rhythm. He never really noticed how nice it felt to be… petted. _Ugh, that was a weird way of phrasing it. Is this what Snarf feels whenever Marilyn pets him?_ The lion thought in amusement. Eventually, his eyes fluttered shut at Marilyn's repetitive motions as he felt himself relax. Her voice wafted through her lips as she began to sing in her sleep, a habit the prince found endearing and very soothing after a long day and he'd have trouble falling asleep, especially this tune. He hadn't told her about her habit because he wanted her to be comfortable (and it wasn't because he found he liked her voice. Not at all).

Marilyn's scent of wildflowers and Atlatl Fruit faintly circled around the prince in a pleasant wave. A low rumble, barely audible but there and growing in volume, rolled through the air.

Lion-O's brow furrowed in dazed confusion, but in the end he thought nothing of it.

"L-Lion-O?" Marilyn's groggy stammer tapped at his ears. The prince hummed contentedly, the sensation of her tiny hand on his arm suddenly shifted to his head and _whoa holy whiskers that felt great._ "I-I'm sorry to w-wake you up, but… a-are you… p-purring…?" just like that the moment was frozen and the low rumble in the air cut off. The prince's eyes flew open as he was shocked from his dozing and came face-to-face with bleary silvers. "Mari!" jerking back the lion felt the warmth of a blush crawl under his facial fur and ears. "Oh, whiskers! I-I'm really sorry, it's just- well, you were having a nightmare and when I tried to make you feel better I was- a-and I, um… I thought you could tell I was here so I did what we know helps and you just… you just-jus…"

A sound like a warm spring breeze came through the room.

The prince paused in his attempts to apologize when he realized Marilyn was _laughing_. It was fresh and soft. It seemed to make the moon glow brighter. Lion-O stared at this tiny teen, barely eye-level with his shoulder when she stands straight up. She was broken in more ways than one, yet she was able to _laugh_. "I l-liked it," she said after a bit. "I-it was… it was n-nice." A shy smile had settled on the two's faces. "L-listen…" the human said after a bit. She was wringing her hands nervously but seemed bound and determined to continue. "I-I know you don't have to take c-care of a wreck l-like me… I'm-I'm damaged a-and I _know_ you'll get in t-trouble for h-hiding me. You're a p-prince… your f-father would p-probably lock you in a cell f-for hiding a p-potential th-th-threat…" Marilyn took a breath and looked the prince in the eyes.

"B-but you're taking that r-risk anyway. A-and I never said anything… s-so. Thank you." Tears glinted in her silver eyes as she looked at the lion prince before her. His teal eyes had widened and Lion-O opened his mouth to tell her that _no one should be thanked for being a decent person_ but she stopped him.

"P-please let me fin-ish."

Lion-O closed his mouth, nodding once.

"You-you've shown me so much kindness, more than I've ever had since my parents died. So-so thank you. You've t-taken the blade from my h-hands when the voices got t-to be too m-much." Lion-O grimaced at the reminder. She had been having a particularly bad day that day. He had gone out to browse in the slums where a friendly dog lives for some technology and he came back to see one of his knives pressed against Marilyn's still-healing wrist. The prince had never been so scared before. It was the first time she had actually let him hug her to make her feel better, too.

"a-and so… _Thank you._ Y-you're such an amazing person. _Thank you for being you, Lion-O. Thank you._"

Lion-O came to a realization as Marilyn tilted forward and wrapped tiny arms around his torso, squeezing him in a hug. It was a crazy realization, one that would trigger his father's legendary lion's temper to unseen heights should he find out, and Tygra's jealousy of finding a girl before him, but it filled the prince with so much warmth he felt it from the tips of his mane to the claws on his toes.

_He had, in the span of a month, fallen for this girl._

Lion-O wrapped his own arms around this tiny human and gave her a squeeze. His heart fell slightly when he realized he couldn't _tell_ her about his newfound feelings for her. For one, his father and brother have begun to get suspicious with his new occupation. Instead of venturing out of the palace like he used to do before Marilyn appeared, he spent more time in his room. And another thing was unless she had a hood on over her head and face, she wasn't able to leave the castle. She thought he didn't notice it, but he saw her looking out of his window at the town below. She wanted to explore, he could tell.

A smile crawled over his face when an idea came to him.

"You've been trapped in here for a month now, Mari." He said, using his nickname for her. Curious silver eyes peeked up at him from around the blankets she had wrapped herself with. "I have a couple of hoods in the closet. Tomorrow I can take you out to stretch your legs and explore. I-If you want, that is!" Marilyn's eyes widened before she smiled brightly- the mile that Lion-O was determined to draw out- and nodded. "Y-yes, lets!" Lion-O chuckled as he nodded. "Alright then. We should get back to sleep if we want to get a head start."

"C-can I bring the f-flute?" Lion-O tilted his head in curiosity.

"What for?"

Marilyn smiled at his curiosity and said a line that made no sense whatsoever and only served to make the prince more curious.

"_Kaya naiatolus,_

_Wirehi kala'us._

_Le'a le'u teras,_

_Rekriato me_." **(*)**

Snarf seemed to purr at what she said, but the little creature obviously didn't know what it meant. "What does that mean?" the prince asked.

Marilyn giggled before she pet the lion's nape, scratching her nails over the fine fur there. The lion had to hold in a shiver, but the purr was a lost cause. Marilyn let out another laugh as she heard the rumble. Her silver eyes gained an odd light, but it was gone in an instant. "Y-you'll realize it la-later." Patting Lion-O's hand gently, she smiled softly when he pouted before getting up to go back to the couch. "Y-you don't have to go over th-there…" Marilyn's voice made the prince pause. Rustling among the sheets had his head turning, and when he looked he saw a line of pillows splitting the bed down the middle.

"A-as long as you d-don't cross this l-line, you c-can stay here."

Lion-O felt another flush spread beneath his fur. "Are you sure?" a jerky nod was the human's answer. The prince felt as if steam was coming from his ears as he climbed into the opposite side and covered himself in the sheets. He repressed a sigh of relief because even if he wouldn't say it, he _really_ missed his bed.

* * *

"Do you have what you need?"

"Y-yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Mmhmm."

Pulling the hood of a deep blue cloak over her head, Marilyn smiled shakily up at her friend. Last night was eventful- after all, it isn't every day you find out your protector and best friend can _purr_ when you pet him, however much of a cat-humanoid he may be. Patting her phone into her pocket and tucking the flute into the straps of her borrowed pants, Marilyn nodded to let Lion-O know she was ready. "Then keep up. Let's go!"

The lion extended his hand to her and Marilyn paused, looking at the clawed and furry appendage before placing her (much smaller) hand in his. Curling his fingers around her small palm to hold it gently, Lion-O shot her a reassuring smile and inched out into the halls beyond the large wooden door. A quick peek showed the all clear.

"Alright let's go!"

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

"O-oh, my!" Marilyn gasped as she was finally brought into the sunlight. The bustle of the town around her , the sights, colors and smells pulled at her senses from every direction. For a brief moment her head ached but a warm wave washed over her and the ache faded. Those spells have been getting more and more frequent lately. "Pretty amazing, right?" Lion-O said, looking eagerly down at the ting teen next to him. Marilyn could only nod. Snarf had been left in Lion-O's room so the two were alone.

Marilyn was at a loss on which way to go first. "I think we should get you some new clothes," Lion-O said. _As much as I like you in mine…_ "You could trip walking around in pants that are too large for you, so we should get you some proper-fitting ones."

Marilyn smiled sheepishly and nodded. Lion-O's large hand closed around hers once again- never tight enough to be forceful, but not too loose as to be lost in the crowd. He was an anchor, and one that she would be forever thankful for in the month that she'd been here in Thundera. "Th-then lead the w-way!"

"Aye then, Milady." With a playful bow, the prince guided the human through the crowd. Little did they know, a pair of sunset orange eyes watched from above, narrowed, curious, and a hint of carefully veiled intent within them. The owner of those eyes stood before speeding away faster than a normal cat should be able to move.

Around Marilyn's wrist, the previously bright red gem was now nearly black, as were the earrings. The copper metal was now turning a dull earthy brown. A crack had appeared in all three stones.

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

"Umm. W-what about this one?"

Marilyn shyly stepped out from behind a fitting curtain to show the clothing she'd chosen. Her neck was encased by a collar-like gold necklace that shone beautifully against her pale skin. Her long floor-length hair was tied up high in a ponytail that caught the sunlight and showed it's almost blue shade of black. She had on a pair of loose pants with a crossing of leather over the shins in several X-formations and a shirt with the symbol of a tree on the front. Her silver eyes stood out nicely with it all. The prince's eyes trailed lower and he raised an eyebrow at her lack of footwear- she wasn't like the animals he'd encountered before with strong foot pads. "I-I don't want s-shoes… I feel m-more free without t-them." Lion-O understood and gave her an easy smile. "It looks really good on you." He said. Marilyn beamed and shuffled back in to put on her hood. After Lion-O paid the shop owner the two set out again.

They went through the weapon stalls, much to the minor dismay of Marilyn.

"If a time comes where you need to fight, you'll have to have a weapon." Lion-O said, explaining his reasoning. "If not to participate in a fight, at least carry something to defend yourself with." In the end, Marilyn had picked out a katana-like sword that had a sandy-tan blade with a crimson cross-guard and a gold and red handle. Lion-O said it was more for a smaller, slimmer build, so she'd fit it well. "I can teach you later."

They window-shopped after buying her sword, Marilyn trailing after the prince as he guided her through the bazaar. Her eyes caught a small harp-like instrument from a music vendor and her heart soared when she recognized it.

It was a lyre!

As Lion-O was about to take her to a food cart he was pulled to a stop my Marilyn's sudden halt. Looking down in question, he saw her silver eyes shining at the lyre sitting upright on a music vendor's stall. He grinned at how cute she looked, her silver orbs gleaming at what was obviously another familiar instrument.

"Excuse me? How much for the lyre?" Lion-O's voice popped up behind Marilyn and the human jumped with a start. "That will be…" the merchant rattled off the price and Lion-O reached into his pouch to buy it. Before Marilyn could tell him no- the prince had bought her enough things already!- she had the lyre in her arms and was being guided over to the square where she took a seat on a bench. "Y-you didn't have to b-buy it for me." She said softly, looking up at the Cat with a wary eye.

"Did you want it?" was his question.

Marilyn blinked before hesitantly nodding."Y-yes but that doesn't mean tha-."

"I had the money to spare, Mari. In case you forgot," he leaned in and smiled impishly at her. "I _am_ the prince." A dusting of pink spread across the bridge of her nose and Marilyn squeaked. Plucking the strings absently, she found herself falling into a rhythm. Humming the tune, she didn't notice Lion-O stilling in recognition of the song. Turning to her friend, Marilyn smiled brightly and stood. "T-there was a song I had c-created with my parents w-when I was little." She began.

"T-the words have no meaning except what t-the mind d-draws for us."

Plucking at the strings, she fell into the rhythm again. Pulling her emotions to the forefront of her mind, Marilyn's face fell into a serene and happy expression.

**..::::..**

_**Song of the Goddess**_

_**(**_**Erutan**_** and **_**Nightcore Male Version**_**)**_

**Lion-O singing**

_**Marilyn singing**_

_(Singing Together)_

∙∙**::::∙∙**

_Lion-O settled back and listened to Marilyn's voice- and he wasn't the only one. Cats and visitors from other nearby towns came to a stop as Marilyn began to play her tune. Lion-O had to agree with her, even if she spoke no recognizable language, her voice and the elegant words rolling from her tongue painted a story._

_**Ontas kritela nosontolis,**_

_**Virtili varetzuli.**_

_**Kiyetu sanela hala'hui,**_

_**Leilian vo'elus virras~!**_

_The cats gathered began to converge on the playing human, muttering in wonder at the voice and skill of her playing. Marilyn's bracelet and earrings light pulsed in time to the beats Marilyn played. The red glow began to shift in color, going to a gentle calming blue and silver instead of the red and yellow._

_**Vira notu sontiso,**_

_**Wori melivra o~!**_

_**Huisas sanaela hala,**_

_**Rekriato me~.**_

_Marilyn gestured to Lion-O, asking him to get up and dance with her. Secretly, she pressed the play button on her phone to continue playing the music as if she was. The prince caught on, but smiled and laughed lowly before abiding to her wish. She bowed to him and he to her before they joined hands. Instantly a small wave of warmth originated from the point of contact between the two and spread up both of their arms; while the song's lyrics seemed to flow into Lion-O's head, the girl felt warm strength curl around her form aling with the stances to a dance that would go perfectly with the music. Marilyn saw his confused blink but he waved it off. With an unsure nod, Marilyn opened her mouth again to sing, but Lion-O's voice wove into hers with perfect harmony._

**Kaya naiatolus**_**,**_

_**Wirehi kala'us~!**_

**Le'a le'u teras**_**,**_

_(Rekriato me~)_

_(Rekriato me~.)_

_Startled silvers blinked up at equally confused greens before Lion-O smiled playfully, saying with his eyes they could talk about it later. _"After you, Milady."_ He said with an elaborate bow to her. A small smile found it's way to Marilyn's lips and she giggled._

_**Honya valelus sonavelis,**_

_**Viri as'ana dore.**_

_**Ashai yekrias solathelas,**_

_**Resha vro huitus viratus~!**_

_By now the crowd of cats were clapping and cheering, making drums with the surrounding crates or barrels. Some danced alone, others with a partner. A pair of narrowed orange eyes stared at the dancing pair that started it all, though. The smaller figure didn't sit quite right with the orange-eyes cat at all._

**Vira notu sontiso,**

**Wori melivra o~!**

**Huisas sanaela hala,**

**Rekriato me~!**

_Marilyn laughed as Lion-O sang with her. His voice was amazing and she wondered why he'd never sung before. Te fact he knew her song was too strange to ignore, but she would speak with him later about it. Right now, she felt free and happy. His large furry hand in hers, her spinning, him twirling her, her weaving around as he ducked and danced. They were like one unit._

_**Kaya naiatolus,**_

_**Wirehi kala'us~!**_

**Le'a le'u teras,**

**Rekriato me~.**

_(Rekriato me~.)_

_Lion-O laughed as Marilyn circled behind him and then came back to his line of sight. Her silver eyes shone with a light he hadn't seen since he heard her sing that first morning she played. She twirled and her open-mouthed smile seemed to outshine everything around them. He found it strange she knew the forms to the Thundera Pair's Dance, but the forms went abnormally well to the music so he didn't object. If anything, he really liked how she looked flowing like the embers of a fire in the winds._

**Visasarem,**

**Vitoris analesa litus.**

**Visasarem,**

**Kaya noseras sai'us~!**

_Marilyn and Lion-O bowed to each other simultaneously, cloaks fanning out briefly before they settled down and closed their three-foot distance. Lion-O held out a furry arm and crooked it, telling Marilyn to do the same and link hers in his. Nodding and facing the opposite direction, but linking arms with him, Marilyn and Lion-O turned in a circle un unison before switching and going the opposite way._

_**Visasarem,**_

_**Vitoris analesa litus.**_

_**Visasarem,**_

_**Kaya noseras sai'us~!**_

_The two broke apart and the music had a beat in a pause before it started up again. Lion-O twirled Marilyn and then spun her out. The human laughed in delight before she came back and sang the last few lines with Lion-O's warming tenor-baritone._

_(Vira notu sontiso,_

_Wori melivra o~!_

_Huisas sanaela hala,_

_Rekriato me~!)_

_**Kaya naiatolus,**_

_**Wirehi kala'us~!**_

**Le'a le'u teras,**

**Rekriato me~!**

**Vira notu sontiso,**

**Wori melivra o~!**

**Huisas sanaela hala,**

_**Rekriato me~!**_

**Rekriato me~!**

_**Rekriato me~!**_

_The two dancers circled back around to their starting point twirling, ducking, and spinning around other dancers. Just as they opened their mouths to sing the last line, they stopped on a pebble, nearly touching chest-to-chest and staring into each other's eyes, shining silver against glinting green. Both panting and grinning like fools._

_(Rekriato me~!)_

_(Rekriato me~!)_

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

The two dance partners, the Cat and the Human, stood still for several moments as the song faded into the wind. They stared at each other, silver on green, before the crowd's sudden cheering brought them out of their reverie. "Come on, let's go!" with a dorky smile, the prince grabbed Marilyn's hand and pulled her through the cluster.

Dashing away and into a dark alcove the prince and his friend/love interest panted, catching their breath in the nook before laughing joyfully. "Y-you were amazing, L-Lion-O! why didn't you t-tell me you could sing?" Marilyn gasped. "I never really tried to. But enough about that, where did you learn to dance like that? It wasn't anything like before! You danced to the-!"

"That was quite the spectacle, Lion-O." a voice came from above the two laughing beings. Lion-O instantly positioned himself in front of Marilyn while the human yelped at the unexpected intrusion.

"Mind telling me where you learned to sing like that?"

Now the voice was at the entrance of their hiding spot. "Wait, I know that voice…Cheetara?"a yellow-tan blur sped across the roof over them before it appeared again in the form of a female spotted, long-maned cheetah. Her hood was down and her orange eyes were focused on the prince with an exasperated but warm smile. That is, before they focused on Lion-O's companion.

"And who is this?" the lion's green gaze went to his love interest and blinked. "Oh. Um… well you see-." In a gust of speed, Cheetara had run over, yanked Marilyn's hood down, and returned to her spot. Her orange eyes seemed to slit in disgust before she masked the action behind shock.

"What _is _that thing?!"

Marilyn averted her eyes to the ground. The faint echo rebounded in the back of her mind. _"You're not a person. You're a THING."_

"Hey, this is Marilyn Young, not a _thing_." Lion-O's ear twitched in irritation at the female's blatant rudeness towards his… friend (well, he couldn't keep calling her his love interest in his head. He briefly wondered if _Claimed_ or _Intended_ would work).

"and as to how she got here, which I have no doubt you'll ask about, it's a long story." Cheetara's gaze went from the prince to his companion and she raised an eyebrow in question. "Well? I'm listening."

..::::..

_The cracks in the gems had gotten bigger right after the dance._

∙∙::::∙∙

**Translations!**

_Ontas kritela nosontolis,_

_Virtili varetzuli._

_Kiyetu sanela hala'hui,_

_Leilian vo'elus virras~!_

_:::::::::::::::::::_

_The light is gentle and kind as I lay,_

_Lay down on the green grass below._

_And as I close my eyes I hear,_

_The gentle growls surrounding me~!_

_:::::::::::::::::::_

_Vira notu sontiso_

_Wori melivra o_

_Huisas sanaela hala_

_Rekriato me_

_::::::::::::::::::_

_Listen to the birds they sing,_

_Of the golden red maned Lion~!_

_Of his strength and soft-spoken ways,_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_::::::::::::::::_

_Kaya naiatolus_

_Wirehi kala'us_

_Le'a le'u teras_

_Rekriato me_

_Rekriato me_

_::::::::::::::_

_Hark as a maiden sings her tune,_

_Taming a mighty beast~!_

_Softly and sweetly she goes,_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_::::::::::::_

_Honya valelus sonavelis_

_Viri as'ana dore_

_Ashai yekrias solathelas_

_Resha vro huitus viratus_

_:::::::::::_

_As the sun sets upon the forest,_

_And the fireflies begin their prance._

_The lion and the maiden stand and walk,_

_To the circle of fairy rings and then they dance!_

_:::::::::::_

_Vira notu sontiso_

_Wori melivra o_

_Huisas sanaela hala_

_Rekriato me_

_::::::::::_

_Listen to the birds they sing,_

_Of the golden red maned Lion~!_

_Of his strength and soft-spoken ways,_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_:::::::::::_

_Kaya naiatolus_

_Wirehi kala'us_

_Le'a le'u teras_

_Rekriato me_

_Rekriato me_

_::::::::::_

_Hark as a maiden sings her tune,_

_Taming a mighty beast~!_

_Softly and sweetly she goes,_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_::::::::::_

_Visasarem_

_Vitoris analesa litus_

_Visasarem_

_Kaya noseras sai'us_

_::::::::::_

_Moon and Sun,_

_Their dance is eternal._

_Moon and Sun,_

_They both heal each other._

_::::::::::_

_Visasarem_

_Vitoris analesa litus_

_Visasarem_

_Kaya noseras sai'us_

_::::::::::_

_Moon and Sun,_

_Their dance is eternal._

_Moon and Sun,_

_They both heal each other._

_::::::::::_

_Vira notu sontiso_

_Wori melivra o_

_Huisas sanaela hala_

_Rekriato me_

_::::::::::_

_Listen to the birds they sing,_

_Of the golden red maned Lion~!_

_Of his strength and soft-spoken ways,_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_:::::::::_

_Kaya naiatolus_

_Wirehi kala'us_

_Le'a le'u teras_

_:::::::::_

_Hark as a maiden sings her tune,_

_Taming a mighty beast~!_

_Softly and sweetly she goes,_

_:::::::::_

_Rekriato me_

_Rekriato me_

_Rekriato me_

_Rekriato me_

_:::::::::::_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_

_Gentle as the sunlight~!_


	5. IV

_**I know Cheetara seems a bit (ok, a lot) OOC guys- this isn't what you think! And as for the gems in Marilyn's jewelry, that is going to be explained in the next chapter, but I think this one would be explanatory!**_

_**(Happily jogs away from the chaos I've made)**_

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

_**ENJOY!**_

* * *

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

_IV: Embers_

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

After Lion-O had finished telling Cheetara how Marilyn had appeared, though keeping her past and revealed conditions of her home life in the dark, the cleric was silent before letting out a sigh. "Even if that's the case Lion-O, you _know_ keeping her a secret from Lord Claudus is a horrible idea. Does Tygra even know? Jaga?" when silence followed her question she had to refrain from smacking her forehead. "Of course. Because you're not thinking." She mumbled. "What's that supposed to mean?" the prince asked.

"You took in an unknown, Lion-O," Cheetara said. "We have no idea what her intentions are. You, once again, acted without thinking!" "I was thinking, Cheetara," Lion-O said, shifting to slightly stand between the irritated female and his Chosen (that was the word. It sounded right). "She has hardly been out of my sight since she arrived, and if you talk to Pumyra she can vouch for Marilyn. On top of that, she hadn't done anything to cause trouble- I had laid down three rules and she never went against them once! Why do you think no one knows of her, even if it's been a month of her being here give or take a day?"

"You don't understand, Lion-O! what if those scars were placed purposefully? The Lizards would do whatever it took to get into our mist."

Lion-O's eyes narrowed briefly as they flashed in barely-restrained anger. "Have you walked in her dreams?! You don't even know anything about her-!"

Meanwhile, Marilyn was standing with a shocked expression on her face. _I knew Lion-O would get in trouble for this,_ the human thought. Under her sleeves and her hair, the blue light of the gems began to stop pulsing, but glowed steadily. _But I didn't think it would affect the ones around him like this… even so, I…!_

"S-stop it." Marilyn said quietly. Cheetara paused in her scolding of her friend while the prince felt the anger recede at his Chosen's voice. The cheetah turned to the strange thing next to them. "What did you say?" the cheetah said, her voice carrying an indiscernible growl.

"Y-you have n-no right to p-pick at Lion-O l-like that," Marilyn said, her voice slightly stronger. "I-I'll admit that you're right, that you know nothing of me, b-but isn't that why you need to h-have more faith in your f-friend?" Cheetara's ears went back as she grit her teeth slightly. "L-Lion-O's position, I understand c-comes first and f-far before me," Marilyn said, looking up and showing angry silver eyes. Lion-O quietly gasped when he saw her pupils were slit like a cat's, the irises not just silver anymore but had flecks of blue of all hues and shaded dancing within them.

"_You_ are not his keeper. I can see he cares for you, but he should be trusted to make the right decisions. He helped me. He made sure his kingdom was safe while I stayed in a singular secure place so he could keep an eye on me, as he said. He helped keep my panics at bay, he kept me from hurting myself, he made me feel more safe than I've ever felt since my parents died. And I may not be able to repay him with money or gold or anything like what he has, but I won't let you tear him down for doing an act of kindness to a complete stranger!"

Cheetara opened her mouth to retort but the human barreled on, overriding her statement with a look and her voice. Lion-O's eyes went wide when she said all of that without another stammer.

"He's my… my friend, and if the least I can do is sing songs or be there when he's had to listen to people comment on how he's always going to be the odd one out, or not fit to rule, or be laughed at and scolded for looking into technology, then so be it! Just keep you stupid opinions to yourselves!"

Her teeth were gritted, lips trembling but not with fear- the prince could identify the smell of Marilyn's fear and it was something that made him feel very angry at the cause. No, the smell curling around their little alley retreat wasn't fear- in fact, that scent was fading gradually. This new scent was sharp and spiced. It smelled of campfire smoke and crackling energy. This smelt of indignation _for_ him.

Marilyn, _his _sweet, timid, still healing _Marilyn_, was _angry_.

And by the gods of Thundera, if that wasn't something completely enrapturing to witness, the prince wasn't sure _what_ would be.

The human's hair fanned out from the ground and her pale cheeks were blotched deep pink with offense. Those usually scared but tender eyes were alight with silver and blue fire. The air was even crackling with the sound of fire. No _hold on, that's not his imagination_. Green eyes went wide when they flitted to his Chosen's clenched fists and blunette hair. At the edges, curling up her arms, lighting at her ankles like silver and blue anklets, were rings and sparking embers of blue and silver flames.

An audible _SNAP_ pierced the air as the now earthen brown metal of her bracelet and earrings shattered and fell from her body. The stones were turned to dust and the metal now clattered to the ground in pieces.

The world seemed to freeze before the irate human blinked, her pupils returning to their normal roundness, and looked down at the shattered pieces of jewelry as well as the flames crackling at her palms, ankles, and hair ends. "W-what is-?!"

Painful memories resurfaced at the sound of crackling flames:

"_**This will tell everyone you're our property now!" the smell of cooking flesh and burning hair filled her nose. She screamed and tried to get away from the brand pressed into her nether region, but the four men holding her down were too strong, and thrashing only made it worse…-**_

Lion-O stood staring at the flames that crackled over Marilyn's skin without hurting her. The human had no idea they weren't causing harm, however and began waving her arms and jumping all over the place in an effort to put the fires out. It wasn't just the fires that were making her panic. It was something _else_… "Marilyn, calm down!" Lion-O's voice pierced through the dancing shadows and cruel laughter. A large furry hand had taken hers and her fingers instantly began rubbing the fur they were reunited with. "Breathe with me. That's it, in and out. You're doing well, Mari. In and out. You're in Thundera and you're safe." Her vision cleared slowly and she saw the familiar, kind, green cat-like eyes looking into her own silvers. The fires were still going, but somehow the blue and silver flames weren't hurting the prince or her. Not a single smell of burnt hair or skin came forth.

If the prince was being honest, he was trying _really_ hard to not purr at the added heat that her fire made when she pet his fur this time around because _wow, it felt even more amazing than last time_.

"L-Lion-O?" her stammer was back but Lion-O couldn't care less. The way she had defended him, pointed out Cheetara's wrongs just as the cleric had pointed out his, had sent warmth throughout his chest. His tiny Chosen apparently had some fangs after all, huh?

"Hey. Welcome back, Mari." Letting go of her hand and moving back to give her space, Lion-O's gaze swept over Marilyn's form. Her ankle flames had gone out but the ones at the ends of her hair were flickering little embers. Not dead, but not the small inferno they had been. "When did this…?" the human had a glassy look in her eyes as she answered. "Is-is this really happening? Blue and si-silver fire… I'm not b-being burned by blue and s-s-silver fire…!"

Cheetara stood frozen at this development before she let a grin spread over her face.

"You pass."

Silver and green eyes blinked incredulously up at the proud looking cleric for a moment. "B-beg your pardon?"

The female cat nodded. "Yes, I must say that the way you jumped in to defend Lion-O without a second thought wasn't something many cats would do outside of their duty." She turned her orange gaze towards the young prince and gave him a reassuring smile. "She's a fierce one, Lion-O. don't mess this up."

A beat of silence passed before Cheetara huffed a laugh at the pair's gobsmacked expressions. "Now that the initial test is done," Cheetara said, clapping her hands together. "My name is Cheetara, cleric apprentice to our head Cleric, Jaga." Marilyn blinked before nodding uncertainly. "N-nice to meet you…"

As Cheetara gave her a reassuring smile, a small tendril of flame came from the human's hair, almost spinning before it dissipated, making Marilyn squeak.

"You'll need to have your flames contained, Marilyn Young," the cheetah said, assessing the blue and silver embers with a sharp orange gaze. "While I am by no means an expert in pyromancy, I do know some techniques that help me harness my speeds- you must focus on your power."

When the human gave Cheetara a confused look the Cat went with a different approach.

"Picture your flames as something else- moths or feathers for instance, and put them in a bottle. Now seal the bottle and don't let any of the moths or feathers out."

After a minute the flames dimmed, then went out in little silver and blue wisps, even in the vague shapes of feathers. The pleased look on Cheetara's face had Marilyn smiling as well. "T-thank you, Cheetara." "It was my pleasure. Just make sure our wayward prince stays out of trouble, okay?"

"Mmhm!"

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

_**Okay, just a short one today, everone! LOLZ DID YOU THING Cheetara WAS GONNA BE THE JEALOUS TSUNDERE? NERP! Sooo Mari's jewelry finally broke! We'll be seeing just what that means next chapter, cuz they gonna meet Jaga! Oh, and Tygra. Mari's gonna meet Tygra now too cuz she wants out and Lion-O needs to train her with the new sword he got her! And OMG the image of Lion-O purring has literally made me roll around like a dying fish on the couch and bed when it comes to mind cuz WHY DOESN'T HE DO THAT IN THE SHOW?!**_


	6. V

_**Hey guys! Next chapter! So as I said last time, Jaga and Tygra are in this one finally! We'll have another fluffy touching moment that brings the two close to the one-on-one, aaand we may or may not see Claudus too…? OH! And Marilyn will acknowledge her feelings for Lion-O too!**_

_**Now I know I've said this before, but to everyone who's coming a bit late to this fic, I'll say it again- EVERYONE is gonna be a little OOC here! Lion-O is how he is because that's how I feel he would be with his current position in Thundera and being who he is.**_

_**More notes are at the bottom!**_

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

_V: Hurt Me, See Me, Free Me_

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

About seven days after their Market Adventure and training in Lion-O's room (once they'd pushed the furniture away, of course- the place was really spacious once the room was cleared) the two were having a moment of quiet and downtime. The cheetah had warned them to not hide Marilyn for too much longer- the more time passed that they didn't tell Claudus the higher his temper would soar when he did find out. And with a conspiratorial wink at the prince (he swore even his fur flushed red), the cleric had blurred away. Also, after thinking on the advice Cheetara gave Marilyn, the girl had been practicing capping and uncapping her flames. Sometimes she left the imaginary cap off on accident, but small reminders from Lion-O got it back under control.

As Marilyn sat on the bed playing the flute he'd given her, the girl's scarred wrists flashed in the sunlight. A small glimmer of sadness passed through Lion-O's eyes when he saw the silvery scars that would never fade before he turned away. Picking up a small disk he'd found from a friendly Dog in the slums, he turned and uncapped a bottle of polish to get the dirt and grit off the surface. "Hey Marilyn? Your hair's on fire." Marilyn let out a squeaky _eep_ before dropping her flute and patting at the unhurt strands to put out the blue and silver embers. With a small pout, she blinked over at the lion prince. Lion-O laughed as he looked on at her in amusement.

_She's like a rabbit,_ he mused while gently (albeit playfully) leaning back in his stool to poke at her cheek, biting his lip to stifle his laugh when she tried to smack his hand away and puffing them in an even more adorable pout.

Marilyn huffed and turned her head away, scooting back a little further on the mattress before she leaned against the headboard. over to the bed and sitting down while plucking at random strings on the lyre. Snarf purred and rubbed his head into Marilyn's hand and she pet him. Lion-O couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that his _pet_ was being stroked like that and not him. With a sigh Lion-O faced forwards at his desk and began to tinker with the disk again. It always seemed to calm him before Marilyn fell into his life, and even a month later it still did the job (though not as well as her nape-pets, that was for sure fact).

Now that the young lion was settled into his old habit once again some worries he had managed to forget unburied themselves. In a little under a month's time, Lion-O would undergo the ceremony to inherit the Sword of Omens. The words of the people, the complaints of his father, and the near-constant challenges from his brother when he _did_ step out of his room were beginning to grate on him and make him feel inferior.

Thoughts and worries of _not a proper prince_ and _unfit to rule_ circulated through his head, the jeers and whispers from his brother about his facination with Technology and his brash impulsiveness the guards would call him out on. It all made a noise in his head. His back stiffened, muscles tightening so hard his shoulders were so badly tensed his arms trembled. He worried that if his _people_ thought this of him, as well as his brother and father, even what friends he made with the guards, then why would Marilyn bother to stick around? She could go to Pumyra instead of stay wi-.

A gentle, tiny palm and slightly trembling fingers pressed lightly against his nape. "Y-you were starting to m-mutter." Marilyn said softly. Massaging the neck of the young prince before her hand moved down to between his shoulder blades and kneading there with gentle fingertips, she fought a smile as Lion-O seemed to melt into her hand, his purrs rumbling with an intensity that made her own chest echo with the vibrations. "What's w-wrong, Lion-O?"

The prince let out a sigh and set down his wrench and screwdriver before leaning back into her touch a little more. "It's just some things that have been bothering me… for a while. That's all. Some words tend to go to close and-." Lion-O clopped his mouth shut, green eyes flitting up to his Chosen anxiously to see her pull her arm away from his nape. Unbidden thoughts and insecurities bubbled to the surface, along the lines of _She probably thinks you're weak_, or _listen to you whine, it's no wonder Mari wouldn't want to stick around you for longer than she needs too!_

She moved from behind the lion to in front of him before placing her soft palms on his cheeks and looking into his eyes. Silver, blue, warm icy embers and shining metallic sparks swirled in her gaze as she stared into his own viridian-teal-forest eyes.

Marilyn saw what many failed to- being abused for years by the very ones who were supposed to help you after your world was ripped apart gave you good lessons on how to read people- she saw how little self-confidence Lion-O really held nowadays. Behind what she saw when he interacted with his brother on the few occasions she saw him, the 'talks' he had with Claudus that he tells her about, and even passing rumors from the guards. The very people Lion-O would be leading one day had so little faith for him that he has to hide behind the false safety of the mask of a hot-headed and arrogant prince, as if it would satisfy their accusations by being what they see him as.

Lion-O was frozen when Marilyn pulled him forward and hugged him to her chest. He felt her shaking at the initiated contact and heard her heartbeat skip, smelled a small tinge of her fear before it vanished and was replaced by warm woodsmoke and Atlatl Fruit.

"People h-have no i-idea how much you t-take from them… d-do they?" Marilyn murmured sadly. She ran her fingers through Lion-O's red hair and he stiffened before he melted into her. His purrs made her body vibrate and her face felt warm with a blush, but she steeled herself. This wasn't about her- it was about the one who showed so much kindness to her and never asked for anything in return. Lion-O sighed before letting his eyes fall halfway closed, nuzzling like the overgrown kitten he was into her bosom and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I-I know it hurts, Lion-O," she said, her hands going from his head, to his ears, to his head again. The prince was practically vibrating in his seat from the strength of his purring. "You k-know I've b-been there… People h-hate what t-they think is d-different…they f-forced us to w-wear masks to h-hide who we r-really are…" shifting away from her friend- no that didn't seem right anymore- Marilyn watched as the light from the window fell through the fine furry coat Lion-O had. Golden cream colored on his arms, striped with slightly darker orange on his face. The red hair he had on his head was like a sunset- fiery and warm, soft and silky. His eyes swirled with so many emotions, warm and lively and kind.

"But the Lion-O _I've_ come to know, he would do something about it. He would do something to make them never doubt his ability to lead them fairly and justly- and not just them, but all who come into his kingdom." 

The human smiled down at the lion whose gaze flickered up to her own. The girl flushed a bit darker when she realized she was straddling his lap, but she didn't mind at all._ Oh, goodness…_ Marilyn sighed as she realized what happened. _It appears that I've fallen for the Prince of Thundera… how cliché can I get…?_ And yet, Mari couldn't be happier. Until she realized she couldn't tell him. The human was resigned to it, understood it, but also knew she would never stop loving him, the first kind thin that had been given to her since her parents died. It was a foolish dream to have, but Marilyn hoped that someday, he could- _would _\- reciprocate her feelings.

"Because if there's one thing I learned from my mother when she read me bedtime stories," Marilyn finished, lifting a hand to place on his furry palm before it traveled to his chest, over a thundering heart. "It's that leaders aren't chosen by fate for their bloodlines, but for their _hearts_."

Lion-O stared up at liquid moonlight, night-blue rivers, and olive-sandy dunes. Silver sparks and blue embers were curling along her hair again, but the prince didn't care. He stared at this tiny human, this one who wore her heart on her sleeve and stayed with him no matter what others said. This little human had his heart, and he was more than happy to give it to her. Without meaning to, they began to very slowly close what little distance there was between them on instinct.

The two were so engrossed with each other, that they didn't hear the footsteps approaching their room until it was too late.

"Lion-O, Father wants to have a word wi-."

Tygra stepped into the room without so much as a knock, making the prince and the human freeze in their places before swivling their heads to look at the intruder.

The tiger stood taller than Lion-O by a couple inches, rich orange and black fur standing out on his head and arms while white tufts were on the sides to form a noble appearance. The tiger was the perfect contrast of colors from Lion-O's warm gold-orange-cream combination. And amber eyes stared in disbelief, then slowly morphed to indignation and outrage.

Before the inevitable storm could blow, Lion-O tried to diffuse the situation. Nudging Marilyn off of him quickly he stood and approached his brother with his hands held out in a placating manner.

"Tygra, this isn't what you think-!"

"Lion-O, I knew you were reckless, hot-headed, and immature… but this is too much, even for you!" the younger of the two opened his mouth to speak but his brother steamrolled on. Marilyn had fallen to her knees, icy fear shooting through her veins at the sight of an irate Tiger standing over her Lion. "Tygra, wait-!"

"Does Jaga even know? Father?!" Lion-O was silent for a beat before Tygra turned on the human. "You! What on Third Earth even are you?! You trying to get into Lion-O's bed? Are you a spy for the Lizards?!" amber eyes were flashing angrily down on her. Marilyn was paralyzed, images of her adopted parents flashing, the father overlaying Tygra at an alarming rate before they became one and the same.

Lion-O saw the signs of his Chosen's mounting anxiety and tried to get his brother away from her. "Tygra, stop this!"

"Oh I'll stop this. You know we can barely trust anyone outside Thundera because of the increasing Lizard hostility, Lion-O. and instead of doing your part to protect your people from the enemies, you take in a potential threat! And what's worse, you don't tell anyone about it!" Tygra leans down and reaches for the terrified girl, his hand descending like a finalizing judge's hammer, declaring her sentence to chains binding her from her freedom.

"I'm taking her to Father. If you want to redeem yourself, you'll follow and maybe he'll go easy on you."

Tygra noticed the thing didn't fight, not even when his hand closed on her wrist and he yanked her towards the door. In all honesty, the thing looked frozen solid in terror. Usually whatever sneaks got into the castle (if ever managed to get past the city's front gates) would plead they were innocent or laugh and say they were only a taste of what Mumm-Ra had for them. This one made his ire calm for a split moment at the complete acceptance she had for her fate. Her silver eyes swam with terror before they dulled and averted to the ground.

Lion-O's eyes went wide before a sudden _fire_ unlike any Tygra had ever seen before enveloped their green irises. The younger brother bared his teeth and snarled as he grabbed his elder's wrist, a hidden strength making pain shoot up Tygra's arm at the bruising grip.

A low growl ripped from his throat as Lion-O glared death at the tiger.

"_**Don't. TOUCH. Her!"**_

Tygra blinked before narrowing his eyes at the younger, anger passing another tier at the act of defiance. "What, are you stupid, Lion-O?! We don't even know what it is! It's probably a spy! Father needs to know!" "You don't know anything about her! I've known her for over a month and she's never made any-!"

"It's been here for over a MONTH?!" Lion-O's mouth closed with an audible _clop_, eyes wide at the slip-up he just made. Tygra snarled before ripping Lion-O's hand from his wrist and turning on his heel, yanking Marilyn out the door by her wrist.

The Lion had never felt so much fear. He was angry sure, but the _fear_ of Marilyn, his _Chosen_ being taken from him made him frozen to the spot as Tygra called the guards.

"Take this creature to the dungeons until our Father can decide what is to be done with it."

With a bow the two guards grabbed the strangely compliant creature and pulled her in the directions of the dungeons, a cold dark cell waiting for its new occupant.

As Marilyn disappeared around a corner, Lion-O looked up at his brother, fire and defiance in his emerald gaze. Tygra met the glare with equal ferocity.

"Father wanted to speak with you about the upcoming ceremony, but in this case you harboring an unknown for over a month in your private quarters would be of more importance to discuss."

A brief flash of fear shot through Lion-O's eyes before vanishing.

_Let it come, then_, the prince thought. _I'll get you out of there, Mari. I promise._

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

Claudus was in an uproar when Tygra brought the issue to light.

Literally in an uproar.

The first thing he did was raise a hand as if to strike at his youngest son but he stopped himself before he could put the blow into effect. Deep down, he was mortified that he would even think of striking his son, no matter the situation, but this couldn't be let go of.

"Do you realize the severity of your choice, Lion-O?!" Claudus' growls were reminiscent of an earthquake but his youngest held his ground, looking his father in the eyes. Lion-O had to play this carefully- contrary to people's belief in him, the young prince was intelligent in his own right. He knew Marilyn would probably hate him for what he might do, but to save her, he would have to…

"Father, if you want to know why I did what I did, call Pumyra over. She was the first and only person I told when Marilyn appeared. What she has as a diagnostic will answer why I didn't tell anyone."

Claudus' legendary temper lowered as he saw the level of maturity his youngest son was exhibiting. He was calm, his eyes held a gleam that brokered no submission and a fire that was burning bright at the mention of what Pumyra had as a reason to keep the creature currently in the dungeons a secret from everyone.

Jaga, the head Cleric, stepped forward. His grey eyes were sharp, a sense of curiosity shimmered under the old jaguar's fur as he backed the young lion.

"My lord, I believe we should hear what the young one has to say."

"I agree," Cheetara's voice had Lion-O looking over in surprise. Tygra's eyes widened as his Chosen sided with his younger brother. "From how Lion-O is acting in light of the situation, whatever Pumyra may have must hold much in understanding this creature."

Claudus hesitated for a beat before nodding. "Fetch Pumyra from the Medical Wing," he said to one guard. "You," he pointed to another. "Bring the creature to us." Lion-O's eyes narrowed as he watched the guard leave. "Lion-O, you and the healer had better have well-versed proof in your claims that that isnt a spy or a…" Lion-O's face felt hot as a telltale blush ran under his fur at what Claudus was implying.

"She's not a-!"

"Lord Claudus, if I may ask in blunt and frank words, why I was summoned with a scroll of a medical treatment I had to perform over a month ago?!" Pumyra came up to the king, her fur bristling slightly at the nature of the odd request. The puma took patient-doctor confidentiality very seriously and being threatened with prison time really grated on her nerves.

"I have a claim from my son that you were the first he told of the strange… _thing_ he had been harboring for apparently over a month, correct?" 

Pumyra's amber eyes widened before they snapped to Lion-O's greens. "You actually intended to go through with hiding her?!" the puma screeched incredulously. "Well, it's not like I could have walked in here and asked "Father, I've got a mysterious human who had apparently been physically, emotionally, and sexually abused! Can I keep her?" that wouldn't have gone over very well as you can imagine!"

"My lord I've brought it."

Lion-O tensed when he heard the clinking of chains and a yelp of pain.

Marilyn was tossed into the center of the throne room, an iron _collar_ around her neck with a chain leash trailing to the guard sent to retrieve her. Lion-O's eyes darkened and he surged forward to grasp Marilyn's hands. "Mari, are you alright? Marilyn?"

The silver eyes the prince loved so much blinked before sharpening.

Marilyn had disassociated the moment the Tiger's hand closed around her wrist. She looked around wildly and saw she was in a circle of sneering, leering, or glaring Cats.

"L-Li-Lion-O…" She whimpered, sniffling and shaking so badly that her collar chain rattled. Lion-O snarled and, in a moment of rage, forgot his father and the rest of the court was even there. The sounds of the chains jangling made him see red before a small palm set itself into his larger one.

Turning toxic green eyes to the guard holding the leash, Lion-O let a growl rumble deep and low in his chest as he slowly stood.

"**Take it off. **_**NOW.**_**"**

The court was silent. Their youngest prince never managed to control his anger that well. He always struck out or shouted to alleviate it. This… this was a new side to the prince that no one had ever seen before but one- Tygra had only seen it an hour before but hadn't stopped to properly assess it. There was untold fury rippling under at golden-cream-light orange fur.

Without a single protest from the gathered congregation, the guard unlocked Marilyn's collar.

"What was the reason you and my son saw it fit to hide a potential threat from me, Pumyra?" Claudus rumbled. Marilyn's silver gaze locked on the massive lion before she scooted back. Lion-O held out an arm and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her to his side. She placed a trembling hand on the fur of his forearm, the practiced method grounding herself as easily as a boat would anchor itself in a lake or river.

Pumyra's eyes widened as she realized what game Lion-O was playing.

It was a dangerous one.

The puma sighed before unrolling her scroll and looking at the contents written in it with thinly veiled regret. "My king, for the sake of our subject's mental state, I won't read the causes or the diagnosis out loud…" rolling the scroll up and approaching the king, Pumyra held the document out and handed it to him.

"If you wish to understand it, with all due respect, you should freaking read it yourself." Pumyra snapped.

"I also propose that we project her memories of the cause of her reason to be rushed to Medical when only myself, Jaga, Tygra, Pumyra, you, and Lion-O are present in a separate room." Cheetara said.

Marilyn wasn't stupid. Through her fear and retreating panic attack from the feel and scent of Lion-O's fur, she knew they were talking about whether she was a friend or foe. Lion-O looked down at her briefly in concern as she patted his arm to get his attention. "Mari, you don't have to do it if you don't want to." The lion said. His viridian orbs were filled with concern, but she looked hard at him. "They're g-going to ask f-for more proof other t-than medical r-r-records, L-Lion-O." The human said. She closed her eyes and hugged the one she'd fallen for, inhaling his scent of faint oil and something akin to pomegranate.

"If I d-do this, then I won't h-have any suspicion p-planted on me… a-also, Y-you have a right t-to know _everything_."

Jaga was watching the exchange with grim grey eyes. The prince was extremely protective over the creature and it didn't take a genius to know what the two were harboring feelings for each other. However there seemed to be a wall, thin and crumbling, yes, but still a wall, keeping them from telling each other.

The creature was telling the prince that she would go through with the ordeal his apprentice was suggesting. Jaga sighed.

Claudus unraveled the scroll and his eyes moved as he read the list. His eyes became wider and wider with each passing second and filed with revulsion and horror.

Looking up at the human burrowing into his youngest son's side, the king almost found the 'symptoms' unbelievable. Then the pale wrist turned upwards and caught a sunbeam through a window, highlighting the scars of past abuse in pale flesh, especially the two largest scars, slightly pink but healed. The rational part of Claudus' mind said that the list checked out, but the little voice said to leave no stone unturned until the complete truth was revealed.

"Very well, Jaga will project her memory and we will check it out in accordance to her diagnostics."

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

_**I AM A DIRTBAG! Sooo long since I've updated I'm sorry guys! Anyway, Jaga didn't get as much spotlight as I would have liked, but that's okay! He'll come back! I wanted Tygra to be portrayed as a complete ass for the first bit because he's constantly challenging Lion-O in boughts of jealousy and bitterness at the beginning right?**_

_**I changed the story title! Look up **_**Home We'll Go **_**by **_**Walk Off the Earth ft. Steve Aoki**_**!**_


	7. VI

_**WELCOME BACK, PLEBIANS!**_

_***LOKI POSE***_

"_**YOUR SAVIOR IS HERE!"**_

_**(Happily jogs away from the chaos I've made)**_

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

_VI: She Went to a Place where she's Loved_

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

Lion-O stayed by Marilyn's side the entire time they were making preparations. Marilyn shied away from everyone who approached her, especially the males in the room aside from Lion-O. Jaga observed the two as he gathered the magic to prepare for casting the spell. Lion-O had an arm around the human's shoulders, murmuring reassurances into her ear as she clung to his biceps. The human was a terrified mess, struggling to not show it but it was futile- she was shaking.

When the required amount of magic was gathered, all they needed to do was send Marilyn to sleep. Jaga had placed a mercy upon the girl- she would not be awake to view the memories, nor would they be the first things she thought of when she awoke. Once she went to sleep, Jaga would apply a mental suppressant to her consciousness. Only memories would trickle through, but she wouldn't remember them clearly once she woke- she would be just as she was when she was around Lion-O.

When the head cleric told the prince and his… friend? this they both nearly sagged in relief. Lion-O wrapped his pinky finger around the humans, a gesture of comfort and grounding. "I'll be here with you, even if you can't see me. Alright?" the blunette smiled a wobbling smile, nodding shakily before leaning back against the wall in a comfortable position. Silver eyes swam with fear and anxiety but her jaw was set in a firm, if shaky, line.

"G-g-g-g-go ah-head…" she chattered. Lion-O shifted his grip to her whole hand, enveloping in on a soft furry warmth. It was the last thing she saw before the darkness wrapped her in a blanket and she passed into the realm of sleep.

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

_Everyone in the room jumped when Jaga's magic wove around them. The room disappeared, instead becoming a vast capital-like city. Buildings taller than Thundera Palace towered high above their heads. Tygra yelped as a large machine with four wheels sped through him, passing through like he was a ghost of the ether._

"This is her home world…"_ Lion-O said in wonder. His eyes were wide as he stood and took in all the sights. All the things Marilyn told him about were here- the large four-wheeled contraptions were cars, the flying metal birds in the sky were airplanes, the flickering moving pictures were television!_

_A giggle came from his left, across the flat black stone Marilyn had called a street, and he saw a much younger and smaller version of his Mari. Silver eyes wide and sparkling with childlike wonder, her black-blue hair was in a short cut, just below her nape, and she wore a dress that was a sky blue with green lace._

_And she was smiling so big that it looked like it might possibly hurt. On either side of her were two humans- one was a male with golden hair and silver eyes just like hers. His smile was kind and his laugh booming and infectious. On Mari's other side was a female, and it was clear who she got her looks from. The Mari Lion-O knew now was almost an exact copy of her only apparently, she had her father's eyes. "Daddy, are we going to the Flower Garden tomorrow?" little Mari asked. the man looked down and grinned, his daughter's excitement making her jump around even more. "Definitely! They'll have the Tulips, and the daffodils blooming around this time of year!"_

"_Yeah!"_

_Lion-O smiled softly at the sight. His Marilyn was happy here. Then his smile became sad, looking down at the current version he had propped up against his side. _If the was the case,_ Lion-O thought._ What happened that took them away from you?

_The scene around the Thunderan gathering froze before changing into a more nighttime setting. There were cars outside a large house. Many cars. Lion-O had a bad feeling pooling in his gut and ran into the house. A loud shot, almost like a blast of sound magic, rang through the night followed by a wail. Another shot and the crying stopped. Lion-O and the others arrived just as a human was running out of the back of the house. He stood shock still at the sight of Marilyn's mother and father draped over her, protecting her from the human who had invaded her home. The cry from the little Marilyn would haunt every one of the Cats for years to come._

"She had everything ripped from her in one night…?" _Tygra sounded shocked. _"But how would that make her so submissive and…?"

_The scene changed again, fast and three scenes flashed by in the span of five minutes. Papers signed, a couple taking Marilyn home, and the new house she would live in._

_Lion-O felt uneasy and hugged his sleeping Chosen close to him unconsciously. He had a very bad feeling about this._

_The scene changed again, and Marilyn looked a bit older now- she was more mature, her bust developing and getting taller. Her adopted father gave her a small snow-white pellet, saying it was to help her health and that she had to take it every day. Lion-O bit his tongue, trying to stop himself from preventing her from eating it._

_The scene changed again- the moon phase was different, so Lion-O guessed two months had passed. They were in Marilyn's room. She was sleeping, but her face was contorted in a grimace. She thrashed in the blankets before crying out and sitting upright in a jolt. _"This is where the first diagnostic was discerned from,"_ Pumyra said coldly to her king. Claudus looked on impassively. _"Insomnia…"

_It had started._

_All Marilyn had wanted was a glass of water. Unfortunately, her adopted father had come home from a 'tavern' that night drunk and violent. He saw her as prey and was on her like a carrion bird jumps a carcass. Pulling her down by the hair, Lion-O wanted to avert his eyes from the horrid scene but he felt he owed it to Marilyn to see it through to the end. Where he just had to deal with the barbed tongues of his father, brother, and people, Marilyn had it so much worse._

_He owed it to her to stick through._

_When the vile _thing_ (Lion-O refused to acknowledge it as the same creature Marilyn was) let her go to pass out on the couch cushions, Marilyn dragged herself to her bed a sobbing, bruised, bleeding and scarred wreck. Purple handprints were on her wrist and waist, bite marks on her neck. Tygra looked down at the ground, ashamed of his actions towards the human. This was why she was so submissive to him? he seemed to have a similar build and height to the man that assaulted her…_

_Tygra's eyes widened as his jaw went slack. She saw the human over him…?_

_From there, everything got worse. A week later, the _thing_ brought friends over and gave her to them. Like she was an object to be lent out as he saw fit. Cheetara and Pumyra averted their eyes when the bellows were used at the fire[lace, five brands with corresponding letters to the ones on Marilyn's body heating up cherry red and pressed to her flesh. Lion-O nearly threw up when the memory supplied what the letters spelled: _M-I-K-E-S.

_They soon moved Marilyn from her room to the basement. Lion-O's eyes began to tear up when he recognized the place as the one he saw when he walked in Marilyn's dream one night. A woman he saw as her adoptive mother tossed rotting food down the stairs, making Marilyn scramble to get to it and eat. Jaga was nearly vibrating with rage that he rarely showed. Not even Lizards were treated as badly as this girl was, and by her own species, no less!_

_But through her strife, Marilyn hadn't been taking it lying down as they thought- she found out that the couple had adopted several children before her and they had all-._

_Claudus swallowed hard, even his kingly stature didn't protect him from what these children had to do to get away from this. But, the sovereign had to say that this tiny waif of a girl had a lot of fire in her- she compiled evidence and hidden recordings of how the male and female human treated her, how they bragged about gaining the money from taking in the children and then abusing them._

_Then the time skipped to almost seven years later, her body was painfully thin, eyes sunken and dull. She was staggering away from the direction of a town. Bandages wrapped around her wrists and ankles. Red blotched some areas of the ankle wrappings, but it didn't seem to stop her._

_Lion-O was practically holding his Marilyn by now. Tears made his facial fur damp as he nuzzled his Chosen gently. Tygra stared at the human and his brother with a newfound respect and a tinge of perverse curiosity at the interaction. Lion-O was rarely this expressive to someone else's sorrow and pain… not that Tygra didn't understand why, but his brother was-._

_Lion-O planted a small chaste kiss on her head before returning to nuzzle her hair._

_Ah._

_That's why…_

_Pumyra letting in a sharp inhale drew the second prince's attention. A sad sorrowful song wafted through the air, even drawing Lion-O's attention. It was the song that Marilyn played from her phone when she first told him of her world's technology._

_The scene had changed to a cliff, overlooking a paradise of flowers and plants of all colors._

_Marilyn was sitting at the edge of the cliff humming softly along with the music._

_~Concrete Angel: Martina McBride~_

_**She walks to school with the lunch she packed,**_

_**Nobody knows what she's holdin' back.**_

_**Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday,**_

_**She hides the bruises with linen and lace.**_

"Bruises due to being held down or hit… the forced…"_ Claudus didn't finish the sentence as Pumyra gave an emotionless nod as tears brimmed in her amber eyes. Normally she wouldn't feel this affected by a patient, but this was her _friend_, and a dear one at that._

_**The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask,**_

_**It's hard to see the pain behind the mask.**_

_**Bearing the burden of a secret storm,**_

_**Sometimes she wishes she was never born.**_

_Lion-O's shoulders shook. He never thought there would be a time that he'd hate Marilyn singing, but this song was one he instantly hated when the lyrics played. Marilyn sounded like she was the girl, and she was in a way. He gently brushed her midnight-blue hair from her face as he listened to the song anyway. He owed her that._

_**Through the wind and the rain,**_

_**She stands hard as a stone.**_

_**In a world that she can't rise above~**_

_**But her dreams give her wings,**_

_**And she flies to a place where she's loved~**_

_**Concrete Angel!**_

_Cheetara stared at the broken human sitting on the cliff. She seemed like a whole different person to the Marilyn she had met in the Bazaar. That Marilyn was burning (literally and figuratively) with light and happiness as she danced with Lion-O and stood up to her for him. this Marilyn looked… exhausted, done, ended…_

_**Somebody cries in the middle of the night,**_

_**The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights.**_

_**A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate,**_

_**When morning comes it'll be too late!**_

_Tygra understood. Marilyn had wanted it all to end. There was a bigger sense of respect for her holding on as long as she did, and compiling all the proof needed to hopefully execute those despicable _things_. But seeing how she had reacted to his literal dragging, being thrown into a cell that looked almost exactly like the basement she was trapped in for nigh on three years, Tygra felt like the biggest ass on Third Earth._

_**Through the wind and the rain,**_

_**She stands hard as a stone.**_

_**In a world that she can't rise above~**_

_**But her dreams give her wings,**_

_**And she flies to a place where she's loved~**_

_**Concrete Angel!**_

_Lion-O stared at the form of the past Marilyn before he jolted at the lyrics that came next._

_**A statue stands in a shaded place,**_

_**An angel girl with an upturned face.**_

_**A name is written on a polished rock,**_

_**A broken heart that the world forgot…**_

_He hugged his Marilyn close, thankful that she was with him and not back there. Nuzzling her neck and breathing her scent of flowers and Atlatl fruit._

_**Through the wind and the rain,**_

_**She stands hard as a stone.**_

_**In a world that she can't rise above~**_

_**But her dreams give her wings,**_

_**And she flies to a place where she's loved~**_

_Reaching into her jacket pocket, Marilyn pulled out a knife. Bringing the blade to eye level, she looked into the grey metal to see her reflection before smiling brokenly at the flowers below her._

_And she sang the last two words before slashing her wrists open, eliciting a shocked cry from the congregated Cats._

_**Concrete Angel!**_


	8. VII

_**THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER FOR THIS ARC! BUT THERE WILL BE THE NEXT STORY THAT FINALLY SETS INTO THE STORYLINE FOR THUNDERCATS! I'M ALSO HAVING TO DO SOME RE-WATCHING BECAUSE I'VE GOTTEN REALLY SICK BECAUSE SIBLINGS DON'T KNOW WHEN TO THROW OUT SOUR MILK!**_

_**Also: I'm gonna put up a mini-series of song-shots for Lion-O x Marilyn, Tygra x Cheetara!**_

_**On a different note: my feelings writing chapter 6:**_

"_**Hey, how you doing? **_

_**Well I'm doing just fine-**_

_**I lied I'm dying inside…"**_

_**T^T**_

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~**

_VII: Conclusion- Home We'll Go_

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

_They saw Marilyn cut open her wrists with an empty sort of ferocity. Her blood splattered on the dirt and leaves, rained down on the flowers below her perch. She set the knife down after watching the blood dribble from her cuts with an almost detached fascination before she started to teeter. Lion-O gripped his Marilyn in an effort to keep himself from running to the memory so he could catch it. This was in the past, He kept reminding himself. Marilyn is here, she's alive, she's _safe_._

_Then, things began to get strange._

_A pulsing reddish-gold light came from her head and her right wrist as the girl staggered towards the edge of the cliff. She toppled and fell headfirst off the cliff, falling at a gradually increasing rate before a swirl of red and gold fire spun around her. Moments before she hit the unforgiving earth, the fire turned the stunning shade of blue Lion-O had come to know and love before forming a pair of fiery blue and silver wings that wrapped around the past Marilyn before she vanished and the memory went dark._

_Then the scenes where she first met Lion-O and spent time with him flashed through. All the cats saw how she interacted with their prince/son/brother, how he began to think before he spoke, took into consideration that she might be dangerous and laid down rules for her to follow. They saw the two dancing, Marilyn getting better, and Claudus almost choked on his tongue when Lion-O gave her a Day Astrid Flower. There was a warm feeling in that memory, like a gentle sunray and a soft caressing breeze. It made Lion-O's heart flutter and his breath catch. __**Happiness, freedom… **__something else that was so familiar the prince could taste it… he sucked in a breath. _**Love…?**

_Then the memories showed Tygra's aggressive behavior and showed her curled up in a shivering ball in the very back corner of the cell she was shoved into, even when she was retrieved the guard had smirked cruelly and pulled her out by the neck before clapping the steel collar on her. Everything past that point was history, but no one missed the warm relief that flooded the area when Lion-O had Marilyn in his arms again- she had felt safe, unequivocally, undeniably, completely safe._

Jaga's magic dissipated, leaving all the Cats and the still sleeping human in their original environment. There was a beat before all the younger cats except for Lion-O bolted for the nearest window and vomited whatever was in their stomachs before shakily coming back. Claudus stood like a statue, carefully watching his youngest son and the human he held. Bleary silver eyes fluttered open before they moved around the room, seeking something.

"Marilyn? You okay?" Lion-O's voice came out as a croak.

"L-Lion-O…? What-?" the prince let out a choked laugh, heedless of the cats around them, and pulled Marilyn close to him. He buried his face into her blunette strands and reveled in her scent, flowers and Atlatl with smoky embers. "I'm glad you're back." He murmured. Marilyn was frozen in shock before she smiled and hugged him back. She knew she was safe because, as they say, "_The safety of home is where the heart is_," and Lion-O had that. Claudus cleared his throat when the realization became clear to everyone in the room.

"I understand that you have been through far too much for a grown warrior cat, much less a child, Marilyn Young," Claudus' rumbled. "And yet, you have persevered and remained strong up to the very end of your old life. You had the intention of taking your life completely, but instead you came here. However, by fate or providence I don't know… Jaga?" the elder smiled knowingly as he looked at the two young ones hugging while listening to the sovereign's speech. "I do believe she made a wish on the legendary Star Stones." That got everyone's attention.

"W-what?" Marilyn gasped.

"The stones that were destroyed over the time you came here, they were the only of their kind. They chose you as their guardian before they granted your wish. In the song you sang, you said '_Her dreams give her wings, and she flies to a place where she's loved_.' I have no doubt, Marilyn, that they brought you here for the purpose of granting that wish, for it wasn't a malevolent wish or a selfish one- it was one from your very being. As for your wings and flames-." The Jaguar snapped his fingers, letting some gentle magic flare out and uncap Marilyn's blue and silver fire wings and anklets/bracelets. "I believe that is where these come in on accordance to your wish."

Claudus nodded, pleased to have an answer. Those stones now sparked the memory of a legend, one of a shooting star obtained by the first Lord of the Thundercats. The current lord continued. "Not only that, but you brought out the best in my son… I understand now that I- no, _we_, haven't been fair to him or his emotions at all." Claudus went on a knee in honor of this girl's bravery, her spirit. He did what no other Lord of Thundercats had done before him- he _bowed_ to her. "I would like to extend the hand of friendship to you, Marilyn Young. You would have all the rights of a noble should you wish it, and I will even offer you a private bedroom within Thundera Palace."

Marilyn's silver eyes were as wide as dinner platters. Lion-O stared at his father in excitement. "Also, it will not do you any good to deny it- I see that you have feelings for my son, and him for you."

_Gah, whiskers it's out-!_

Lion-O and Marilyn froze up, tensing and shuffling in place before they fully processed the sentence. "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-!?"

Claudus smirked at the shocked pair before chuckling. "Since Marilyn Young has the title of a noble Cat and is under Lion-O's care, as well as nobility is only allowed to court royalty and vice-versa, I suppose it is… fitting that they be given the right to announce their courting to the city." The newly announced courters' smiles were so bright Jaga absently wondered if the sun had been manifested in the room.

"I thought she knew what you meant when you handed her the Day Astrid Flower, Lion-O." Tygra said. Marilyn blinked, tilting her head curiously as her wings fluttered absently. "I-is that w-what it was?"

The lion prince coughed before muttering something. "He said that it's a way of expressing your intent to court and hopefully marry in the future," Tygra said with a smile at his younger brother's embarrassed expression.

The girl chewed her lower lip before she leaned in and nuzzled her lion's chest. He wrapped those comforting furry arms around her and smiled softly. Looking at his father, Lion-O mouthed _thank you_. Claudus just nodded in return. Tygra patted Lion-O on the shoulder while Cheetara and Pumyra smiled at the lovely couple. _Match made in the afterlife_, the two females thought. Jaga nodded as well, glad that everything was cleared up, that the prince had his Chosen, and that in their own way, everyone had been healed.

the congregation left the room, leaving the two young creatures to their own devices.

"Lion-O?"

The prince hummed, the vibrations rumbling against Marilyn's body.

"I-I'm still not r-ready to… to… you know. K-kissing maybe, but given enough t-time-." Lion-O placed a finger over the nervous girl's lips and smiled in understanding at her. "I'll wait as long as you need me to, Mari." Lion-O said. "We'll go at your own pace. If I do something you don't like, tell me and I'll stop." Marilyn blinked. She had the power in this…? She smiled softly. "Y-yeah. Okay…"

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

**ENDING: HOME WE'LL GO**

**WALK OFF THE EARTH ft Steve Aoki**

**~~~~*\|/*~~~~ **

_The scene begins with Marilyn sitting at the cliff she tried to kill herself at. Her head is looking down at the flower field and the specters of her dead parents are playing with her little nine-year-old self. Marilyn raises her knife and brings it down, but the scenery is awash with black instead of red._

_Lion-O is standing in the black place, the eyes of cats all around and mocking his ability to lead them. His brother is challenging him and making him tired while his father scolds him. An older Lion-O is tinkering at his desk, sighing and looking up at the moon outside his window._

_**Don't let your head hang low,**_

_**You've seen the darkest skies I know~.**_

_**Let your heart run child like horses in the wild…**_

_**So take my hand and home we'll go~.**_

_Marilyn looks up at the sun, right where the moon was in Lion-O's world, and allows a tear to fall._

_**The sun it glows like gold…**_

_She teeters and feels herself fall forwards._

_**Feel it warm as a burning coal.**_

_Lion-O rests his head on his arms, looking with sad and half-lidded eyes at the disk of technology with a resigned gaze,_

_**Let your soul shine bright like diamonds in the sky…**_

_In a flash of blue and silver fire, Marilyn manifests her wings as she plummets to the unforgiving ground. They wrap around her and in a flare she vanishes, leaving only a single still-burning feather that crumbled into ashes._

_**So take my hand and home we'll go~!**_

_Marilyn's fire cocoon is seen hurtling through the expanse of time and space, images flashing in the nebulas and star clusters as she goes._

_**Home we'll go, home we'll go~!**_

_Lion-O stands and pats Snarf on the head. Sighing, he walks over to the window and sits on the sill. Stargazing as the time passes, he sees a blue and silver falling star fly right over his window and drop a blue and silver feather on his sill. It caresses his hand with a gentle touch before the light flames stretch towards the falling star heading for the land just outside Thundera's walls. With a determined look in his eyes, he runs out of his room and through the palace._

_**Home we'll go, home we'll go~! (repeat 2 more times)**_

_Images of a girl with blunette hair and gentle silvery eyes flash through the landscape as Lion-O and Snarf run after the falling star._

_**Don't let your head hang low,**_

_**You've seen the darkest skies I know~.**_

_**Let your heart run child like horses in the wild…**_

_**So take my hand and home we'll go~.**_

_The star seems to veer and turn towards Lion-O. the prince and his pet freeze before trying to run the other way towards home. As they run, the torpedo of light shows flashes of the prince and Marilyn spending time together and falling for each other._

_**The sun it glows like gold~**_

_**Feel it warm as a burning coal,**_

_**Let your soul shine bright like diamonds in the sky~…**_

_**So take my hand and home we'll go~!**_

_Finally the light fades when Lion-O reaches his room. Morning light comes as the light of Marilyn's star dissolves and she is seen with her wings still on and out, wrapped around her before vanishing and gently lowering the damaged girl into the baffled Lion-O's arms. As the morning sunrays reach into the room, Marilyn's silver eyes open blearily. Lion-O stares into her silvery orbs as she peers up at his viridian gaze before her eyes flutter shut._

_**Home we'll go,**_

_**Home we'll go~!**_

_The prince takes Marilyn into the medical wing where Pumyra tends to the wounded human. As time passes and Marilyn heals, the two spend time together._

_**Home we'll go, **_

_**Home we'll go~!**_

_Marilyn is finally getting her wrists unwrapped for the last time and caught Lion-O's eye. They share a smile before thanking Pumyra and leaving the medical wing. As they walk, Lion-O's pinky curls around hers and they share a small smile. Gradually they walk towards a doorway and into a warm golden light before the screen goes black._

**~~~~*/|\\*~~~~**

**.::**TO BE CONTINUED IN**::.**

_Thundercats- the Fallen Kingdom_


End file.
